Anything but Ordinary
by missmoxleymania
Summary: OC Meredith is the sister of WWE Superstar Seth Rollins. When she moves to LA, she is around Seth, Roman, and their new partner, Dean most of the time. She eats with them, trains with them, and pretty much takes the role as the little sister/best friend. As the days go by, Meredith struggles to fight off her feelings any longer and finally lets them out. Will he feel the same?
1. Chapter 1 Welcome to LA

Seth hung up the phone with a grin from cheek to cheek. His sister's flight had just landed in L.A. Her 23rd birthday was coming up, and he had bought her a condo right next door to his as a surprise. Seth hadn't seen Meredith in almost 2 years since he started pursuing his wrestling career, but now she was finally going to be living next door to him. Seth and Meredith had a better relationship than most siblings, and they practically felt like best friends rather than relatives.

"Good news?" Roman laughed.

"Yeah, dude. Meredith's flight landed. I'm gonna go pick her up." Seth notified.

"Well, you go pick her up, and I'll drop Ava off with Joselynn. I'll meet up with you and Dean at crossfit after that. You can bring Mer if you want; just don't let her around Dean." Roman gave a hearty laugh as he warned Seth.

Dean and Meredith had never met before, but she had met Roman when Seth had first started wrestling with him. Seth knew Meredith had just broken up with her boyfriend, so she was probably going to be vulnerable. Hopefully Dean wouldn't find interest in her. Seth and Dean had become best friends since they had started working together, but when it came to his sister, nobody was good enough for Meredith in Seth's opinion.

"Yeah, thanks for that, Roman." Seth grumbled.

"Sorry, man." Roman grunted as he knelt down to Ava.

"Bye, Seffy!" Ava ran to him and hugged his leg.

"See ya, girly." Seth smiled as he ruffled her hair.

* * *

When Seth arrived to the airport, he waited around for a few minutes, and then he heard a familiar voice come from behind him.

"Oh my god, it's Seth Rollins!"

"Meredith." Seth gave her a gentle smile.

Meredith dropped her bags and gave him a tight hug. Seth was her best friend, and the 2 years without him were almost unbearable for her.

"I missed you so much." She fought off her tears.

"You're all grown and stuff, Mer."

"Well, that generally happens when you don't see someone for two years, Seth."

"Yeah, I know. We've just been real busy at work."

"We?" Meredith raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah. Me, Roman and Dean."

"Dean?"

"New teammate."

"Oh, gotcha." Meredith nodded.

"Listen," Seth grabbed her bags and set them in the trunk and backseat, "we're going to the gym today. Roman invited you if you're feeling up to it."

Meredith knew what he was getting at, "Seth, I'm fine. I broke up with him."

"I know but-"

"I would love to workout. I've been meaning to get back in shape." She gave him a smile.

"Excellent."

* * *

When Seth and Meredith arrived at the Crossfit center, it was only them and Roman. Roman immediately smiled and hugged Meredith.

"Haven't seen you in a while, kiddo."

"I know, it's been a minute." She laughed.

"Where's Dean?" Seth interrupted.

"Hungover." Roman guessed.

"We'll we're not waiting on him again." Seth sounded disgusted.

The three of them walked into the big building and were soon surrounded by red walls and the most extreme exercise equipment that Meredith had ever seen. She had no idea what she had agreed to. She watched Seth immediately run over to two rings dangling from the ceiling by two chains. He started doing pull-ups while Roman was doing box jumps. Meredith wanted to bench press, but there was nobody there to spot her, so she walked over to the tredmill and quickly set a steady pace.

Meredith ran for 30 minutes; running 4 miles. She was pretty tired and out of breath. She walked over to the towel bin and picked one up. Meredith wiped her face off and ran into someone as she turned around.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry."

Meredith moved the towel from her face and looked up at the tall man standing in front of her. He was wearing New Balance 890 running shoes, black mesh shorts that hung deliciously from his hips, a Cincinnati Reds cut-off shirt. He was holding a water bottle in one hand and in his other hand was his bag he was holding that dangled from his shoulder. Meredith caught herself staring at him with admiration. He looked extremely fit and his eyes were dangerously exciting. She felt her cheeks warm up as his eyes met hers.

"It's my fault," Meredith assured, "I'm sorry."

"You're fine. You look exhausted, though." The man pointed out.

"Yeah, well, my flight just landed in L.A. this morning. I wanted to get back in shape."

"Guess you're not much of a runner." He chuckled.

"You're right, I'm not. I wanted to bench, but I didn't have anyone to spot me."

"I'll spot you." The man offered.

"I couldn't ask you to do that; you look awfully busy."

"It's no problem," he assured her, "come on." He set his bag down and walked over to the weights with Meredith.

"How much on each side?" He asked.

"Um...seventy-five."

He looked puzzled. "You sure? That's one hundred fifty pounds, not including the bar."

"Just spot me." She rolled her eyes.

He lifted the bar over Meredith and she did 3 sets of 10. He could see she was struggling a bit, so he helped her out on the last few without her taking much notice. After she was finished, she sat up on the bench and rested for a bit. He sat down next to her as she permitted.

"I've never seen a girl go that long before." The man admitted. Meredith's face turned bright red and as he took notice, he laughed. "I meant lifting that much weight for as long as you did."

Meredith giggled, "I knew that."

"So are you an athlete?"

"I used to be," Meredith admitted, "now I'm just getting myself in better shape."

"Well, I don't think you have to worry about that." The man informed her, "I mean, you look pretty good."

Meredith blushed again. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"So are you an athlete? I mean, you look pretty good too." She admitted.

The man grinned and rested his hands beside him on the bench. "I am, actually. I'm a professional wrestler."

Meredith's face lit up, "That's awesome! So is my brother."

"Cool." He nodded his head and stuck his hand out to her. "Well it was nice meeting you, um..."

"Meredith."

"Meredith," he continued, "but I've got to start my workout."

"Ambrose!" The man and Meredith heard a voice coming towards them. It was Seth.

"Hey, man." The man gave him a three-fingered wave.

"I see you two have met." Seth laughed.

"What?" The two asked at the same time.

"Meredith, this is Dean. My and Roman's new partner."

"How do you two know each other?" Dean lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Dean, this is my little sister, Meredith."


	2. Chapter 2 I Owe Wrestling

The sweaty group of four - Roman, Seth, Dean and Meredith - all planned to go back to Seth's condo after their vigorous workout. Roman rode with Seth, and Meredith rode with Dean after he offered his passenger seat to her.

"We'll meet you there, Seth." Dean assured him.

As they approached Dean's car, Meredith almost collapsed right then and there. Dean wasn't sure if she just over-exerted herself, or if she was just hungry, dehydrated or both, so he offered her lunch.

"How does Olive Garden sound?"

"Freaking amazing." Meredith laughed as Dean helped her back to her feet into the passenger seat of his Midnight Blue 2012 Mustang.

Dean drove a few miles opposite Seth's condo, but he didn't mind. He turned his radio on and tuned it to 95.9. The song 'Bonfire Hearts' by James Blunt played through his surround sound.

_**Days like these  
Lead to nights like this,  
**__**Lead to love like ours,  
You light the spark  
In my bonfire**__**heart.**_

"I love this song." Meredith smiled.

"I don't really listen to the radio," Dean admitted, "it's more of a background noise."

_**People like us, we don't,  
Need that much, just some,  
One that starts,  
Starts the spark in our  
Bonfire hearts.**_

"Music is beautiful." Meredith smirked.

"Why do you like it so much?"

"Why do you like wrestling?"

"I owe wrestling, it saved me."

"What do you mean?" Meredith was confused.

"Um...nothing."

"Why won't you tell me?" Meredith turned down the radio and pouted.

"I just don't want my first impression on you to be bad."

"Dean-"

"Meredith, I'm telling you, leave it alone." Dean's voice now stern.

"Okay.." She trailed off and he turned the radio back up.

_**People like us, we don't,  
Need that much, just some,  
One that starts,  
Starts the spark in our  
Bonfire hearts.**_

* * *

Olive Garden wasn't too busy for an afternoon. Dean and Meredith were seated within 10 minutes. They sat by a big window that let in the Los Angeles sunshine. The light beamed perfectly in on Dean's eyes. It made them sparkle a lighter blue than usual. He caught her staring at him.

"They're blue." He smirked.

"I know," Meredith blushed, "they're just fascinating."

"Well thank you. Yours are pretty as well." He gave her a cheesy grin, revealing his dimples.

"They're just brown." Meredith solemnly sighed.

"And mine are_ just_ blue." He mocked. Meredith sat in silence until Dean started talking again, "So, since you asked me something personal earlier, I have a question for you."

"Hmm?"

"Why did you move to LA?"

"Seth is here." She quickly spoke.

"What about your life back in Iowa?" Dean rested his elbows on the table.

"There wasn't anything there for me anymore. I had finished college, I buried my grandfather, I broke up with my boyfriend..." She trailed off and fought the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Hey," Dean put his hand on hers, "it's okay, Meredith, I didn't mean to upset you." His eyes turned a dark shade of blue.

Meredith wiped her eyes with her free hand, "It's fine, I'm just overwhelmed. I don't really have my own place, or friends here."

"I'm hurt!" Dean playfully laughed as he set his hand against his chest; where his heart was.

"We're friends?" Meredith lifted an eyebrow. "We barely know each other, though."

"Meredith, you're Seth's sister. You're gonna be around us for a while. We're friends."

The waiter brought the food they had ordered a while ago to their table. He handed Dean a plate of 5-cheese ziti and handed Meredith a plate of chicken fetuccini alfrado.

"Everything look okay?"

"It looks amazing, thank you." Meredith gave the man a smile.

The man looked Dean up and down with a look of disgust not hidden from his face. Dean was used to this; every time he was out with a girl that was beautiful, he would get dirty looks as if he weren't good enough. It pissed him off and made his blood boil. The fact that the people didn't even know him and they were making assumptions about him made him annoyed. He walked away after Dean had given him the worst glare he had ever given someone. Dean's eyes turned almost a navy shade; they were so dark.

Dean and Meredith ate quickly without realizing their food was almost gone. They laughed and got to-go boxes for the leftovers that remained on their plates. Dean payed the bill and left no tip for the snide looks he got from the waiter earlier. _"That'll teach him"_ Dean thought to himself. Dean opened the door for Meredith and they walked out to his car.

"Thank you, Dean."

"No problem, bud."

_"Ugh, bud?"_ Meredith sadly thought to herself.

Dean turned on the radio again, and this time I Don't Want To Miss a Thing by Aerosmith was playing.

"Now, I know this one." Dean laughed through his nose.

"I would hope so." Meredith giggled.

Dean softly sang without the realization that Meredith was listening to him.

"I don't wanna close my eyes. I don't wanna fall asleep, 'cause I miss you, baby, and I don't wanna miss a thing."

"You have a lovely voice." She notified him as she whispered.

Dean blushed, not knowing she was listening to him, "Thanks."

"Dean, I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to get personal."

Dean pulled into the car lot of the condos where Seth lived. "Meredith, I promise you, I'll tell you one day, okay?" His words promising.

"Okay, Dean." She unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed the food on the floorboard.

Dean and Meredith walked up to Seth's condo and knocked on the door. They didn't have to wait long for Kevin, Seth's dog, to start yapping from the inside. The door unlocked and Seth opened it, rolling his eyes.

"You could've called, ya know." Seth sounded frustrated.

"Seth, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Dean cut Meredith's sad tone off, "Bro, blame me. She pretty much collapsed at the Crossfit place so I offered to buy her lunch. I didn't know it would be a big deal, I was just trying to be a good guy." Dean assured him.

"Mer, are you okay?" Seth went up to her.

"I'm fine now. I don't know what happened."

"You probably over-worked yourself." Roman's voice came from the hallway.

"Sit down, Mer." Seth pulled a stool from the island in his kitchen.

"I'm fine, Seth, I promise. I'm gonna go change, okay?" Meredith started walking down the hallway.

Seth pulled Dean to the side, "What the hell do you think you're doing, Dean?"

"What are you talking about, Seth?" Dean was puzzled and not too fond of the way Seth was talking to him.

"She's my little sister, man. I don't want her hanging around a guy like you. We're best friends, dude, but she deserves better than a guy who used to lace up every morning."

Dean wasn't denying any of the things Seth was whisper-yelling at him. "I know, Seth. That's why I'm not hitting on her. I know she deserves better than me."

"As long as you know." Seth walked away from him.

Meredith walked up the hallway in a black and white horizontally striped maxi skirt with a slit up the side, wedge heels, and a red half tank top that pretty much looked like a bandeau with straps. Dean and Roman couldn't keep their eyes off of her.

"Roman, you have a girlfriend, shame on you." Seth laughed.

"But I don't." Dean smirked.

"Meredith, I think you should change." Seth sternly advised her.

"But, Seth, I like this outfit." Meredith pouted.

"It's not appropriate. Please change." Seth frowned.

"No. Seth I'm almost twenty-three years old." She was finally putting her foot down.

"And don't you think a twenty-three year old should have her own house?" Seth raised his eyebrow at her.

"Fine," Meredith looked as if she was going to cry, "I'll go find a place in LA and you won't have to look at me ever again." She got up to leave, but Seth got up and stood in front of her.

"Meredith, you're being silly." Seth hugged her and handed her a key.

"What's this?" She stared at him.

"This," Seth began, "is the key to your new condo." He gave her a smile. "I told you, a twenty-three year old woman should have her own place."

Meredith hugged Seth and jumped up and down in excitement, "Oh my god, Sethy, thank you so much! I love you!"

"I love you too, Mer."

The way Meredith said _I love you_ made Dean's body tingle. He shook his brain from his thoughts. He couldn't have feelings for her, but he found it harder every time to fight off his feelings. He hadn't even known her for more than four hours at the most; he couldn't be developing feelings for her. Not her, not his best friend's sister. No.

"Where's my condo?" Meredith was eager to move in, obviously.

Seth grabbed her by her arm and walked with her outside. "You see that convo waaaay over there?" He pointed across the parking lot to the furthest condo from his.

"Yeah." Meredith blocked the sun from her eyes and squinted.

"Well yours is right next door to mine." Seth laughed as well as Meredith.

"You're the best, Seth."

"Let's get your bags settled in your new home and then go celebrate your coming of age, shall we?" Roman's voice came from behind them.

"I could use a drink." She laughed.

"My kind of girl." Dean winked.

Seth watched in disgust as Meredith's cheeks turn as red as her shirt and knew at that point that he had to keep a close eye on her and Dean.


	3. Chapter 3 I Didn't Tell Anyone

Meredith's condo wasn't as pretty as Seth's; she knew she's have to paint and buy furniture to spice up the place. It was small - one bathroom with a shower, two bedrooms, a small kitchen living room combination - but it was good enough for Meredith and she couldn't find words to thank Seth more than she already had.

The curtains and wallpaper patterns weren't her favorite; they looked as if she was living in a nursing home. The floors were sanded down; she would add carpet later. She would also need to install the air conditioner that laid on the kitchen floor, but she would keep the windows open in the mean time. Meredith walked down the hallway that was identical to Seth's and found the bedroom with the closet; she would use the other bedroom as storage or a guest room. The bedrooms - unlike the kitchen and living room - had carpet but it was unwelcomingly hideous and it didn't feel too great either. Though, Meredith wouldn't complain; Seth didn't have to do this for her.

Roman and Dean carried Meredith's bags in from Seth's condo and set them down in Meredith's dark living room. They looked around at the unkept rooms and heard Meredith's voice yell from a room in the back of her condo.

"Just leave them in the kitchen, guys!" Meredith wiped her skirt off and headed up towards the room where the two men were.

"Uh, Mer?" Roman lifted his eyebrow.

"I know," Meredith knew what he was thinking, "it needs work."

"It needs a lot of work." Dean admitted.

"I just need new furniture and I should probably paint." Meredith looked at the ugly floral wallpaper staring back at her.

"You need to do more than that." Dean laughed through his nose.

"Yeah, Mer, this place needs a complete renovation." Roman added and scratched the back of his head.

"I'll make due." Meredith rolled her eyes.

"I'll go get Seth." Roman headed out the door, leaving Dean and Meredith alone in the condo together.

"I'll carry these bags back to your bedroom for you." Dean offered as he picked up the bags.

"I'll show you where it is." Meredith gave Dean a gentle smile and followed him down the hallway. "It's that room." She pointed to the second door on the right which was across the hall from the bathroom.

"Jeez, Meredith." Dean walked in the room and looked at the walls and floor, "this place needs a woman's touch."

"Yeah," Meredith sighed, "I don't know when I'll have the time though."

"I'll help you." Dean offered.

"Dean, I couldn't ask you to do that." Meredith spoke solemnly.

"Why not?" Dean set her bags on the bed and walked over to her, gently grabbing her arms and rubbing them with his thumbs. "I'm offering. I'll help paint and lay your carpets while you do errands or go furniture shopping some days. I promise its no big deal." He looked into her eyes and gave her a half smile.

Meredith looked into his eyes for a while and realized his proposition wasn't going to change. She finally gave in with a sigh, "Fine. Thank you, Dean."

"My pleasure." He smirked as ran his thumb over Meredith's jawline.

Meredith practically melted in his hand, but kept her composure. God he was seductive, even if he meant to be or not.

"Mer?" Seth's voice echoed through the practically empty condo.

"Coming!" Meredith proclaimed.

Meredith and Dean walked in from the hallway together and this upset Seth greatly, but he kept his feelings well hidden.

"Um..." Seth lost his words.

"How about we go get some drinks or something?" Roman broke the silence.

"Sounds good." Dean shrugged.

"Sounds _great_." Meredith laughed. "Seth, you can invite Leighla if you want." She gave him an innocent smile.

"Today is about you, Mer. I don't want to spoil it for you." He frowned.

"Please invite her," Meredith pouted, "I've only seen her in pictures. I want to meet her."

"I'll see if she's busy." Seth gave her a half-grin.

"Ro," Seth nodded to him, "What's Joselynn doing tonight?"

"I can see if she can get a sitter for Ava or something." Roman shrugged.

"Sweet."

As Roman and Seth stepped out of Meredith's condo to get better signal on their phones, Dean and Meredith shared the small couch in the corner of the living room. Meredith didn't really know what to talk about, so she stayed quiet. Dean twiddled his thumbs and finally broke the silence in the room.

"What color were you thinking for the walls?"

"I was thinking a soft yellow." She gave him a smile.

"Alright, cool." Dean nodded.

"I hope Seth loosens up after he has a few drinks in him." Meredith groaned. "And when hes with Leighla, that should help too."

"I think he's just having a bad day." Dean tried to reason with her.

"He's just so protective of me." Meredith looked over at him. They were practically face to face. "I just want to have fun tonight." She whispered as she looked at his lips.

Dean's breath picked up a little bit and he swallowed hard as she put her hand on his thigh. She moved in closer as if she was going to kiss him, but was interrupted by Seth and Roman trudging back into the condo. Meredith and Dean quickly situated themselves to look innocent, even though nothing had happened. Seth's eyes pierced into Dean as if he knew what was going on when he left; or what was going to happen anyway. Meredith's face flushed as she looked down and bit the skin around her thumb.

"Joselynn and Leighla said they can come." Seth said in a mono tone.

"When will they be here?" Dean realized his arm was still around the top of the couch where Meredith was sitting and quickly moved it into his lap.

"Joselynn is going to drop Ava off at her sister's house and shes gonna swing by Leighla's house and get her." Roman noted.

Dean said nothing, but nodded his head.

"Are we carpooling?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah." Seth answered. "You're gonna ride with the girls and the three of us are gonna take Roman's car."

"I guess I'll get to know them on the way to wherever we're going."

"You wanted them to come." Seth pointed out.

"Where do you wanna go, Mer?" Roman sat on the island in her kitchen.

"I don't really know. What's in LA?"

"Um." Roman tried to think of places appropriate for the ladies.

"I guess we can go to Charlie's. It's a grill and bar." Dean told her.

"That sounds great." Meredith smiled. "I'm gonna hang up some of my clothes while we wait for them, okay?"

"We'll be in my condo." Seth told her.

The three men walked out of the condo and Meredith turned on her Pandora Music Radio. She chose the Aerosmith Station and walked back to her bedroom. The first song to play was "I Don't Want To Miss a Thing." She sat on the edge of her bed and closed her eyes; recalling the smooth way Dean sang the lyrics in his car earlier. It was the first moment of peace she had all day which was quickly ended by a phone call that stopped her music. _Dustin_.

Meredith hesitantly picked up her phone on the third ring and set it to speaker, "Hello?"

"Hey, baby." He sounded drunk.

"Dusty, leave me alone." Meredith's annoyed voice wasn't hidden.

"I know you're gonna come back for me, bitch." He gave a hearty laugh.

"Then why did I move to California?"

"You're in denial." He laughed again.

"And you're drunk. Goodbye."

"Wait."

"What do you want from me, Dusty!" Meredith cried into her phone.

Seth knocked on Meredith's door; he forgot his phone. She didn't answer the door, so he let himself in. He heard her talking on the phone so he quietly walked up the hallway thinking it was their parents. He stood in the hallway for a minute or two.

"Meredith, you're worthless. You always were." Dustin snarled into the phone.

"Just because I didn't have sex with you doesn't make me worthless."

"You're a slut, Meredith. Just admit it. You're getting some dick in California; that's why you moved there."

"No it's not! Dusty leave me alone. I'm tired of you. You weren't the person I wanted to give my virginity to." Meredith shrieked into the phone.

Seth was happy that his sister was still a virgin, but the way Dustin was talking to her made him want to personally drive himself to Iowa and knock his teeth down his throat. He couldn't interrupt the conversation now, so he stood and listened.

"You're lucky your brother is a wrestler." Dustin's voice now threatening.

"And why is that?"

"Because if he wasn't I would come down to LA and beat you like you so much deserve, cunt."

"You won't find me, Dustin." She tried to stay calm.

"But I will." He warned. "And when I do, you're not going to like the outcome. This time, I'll break more than your heart." He laughed and hung up the phone.

Meredith threw her phone against the closet door and it fell to the floor. She balled up on her bed and started weeping helplessly into her hands. Seth was trying to find a way to walk into her room without startling her or making her seem like he was eavesdropping which he sort of was. He couldn't stand to hear her cry anymore, so he just went for it.

"Mer." Seth softly spoke as he sat on the edge of her bed where she was originally sitting and pet her head for comfort.

Meredith said nothing and curled into Seth's arms, continuing to sob into his Glamour Kills t-shirt. He hugged her tight and as well said nothing; he didn't need to. They continued hugging and he finally spoke up.

"I had no idea Dustin was like that, Meredith." Seth's words were filled with sorrow.

"Because I didn't tell you; I didn't tell anyone." She wiped her eyes and smeared the mascara to the side of her face.

Seth didn't know what to do, he didn't know what to say, and he didn't know what he would do if Dustin actually did come to LA. He didn't want to think about that, and he didn't want Meredith to think about it either. All Seth could think of was that maybe Dean wasn't so bad for Meredith as he originally thought.


	4. Chapter 4 I'm Going to Tell You

Seth finally got Meredith to calm down and redo her makeup and by the time she was finished, Joselynn and Leighla arrived at the condos. The two girls immediately went over to their boyfriends and hugged them as Dean and Meredith stood there awkwardly. Dean could tell something wasn't right with Meredith so he pulled her over to the side to talk to her privately. He didn't know if she would tell him the truth, but it was worth a shot in trying.

"Mer?" Dean whispered. "Are you okay?"

"Honestly, no, but I don't really want to talk about it." She looked down at her feet, avoiding eye contact.

Dean lifted her chin up and made her look at him. They were face-to-face again and she just wanted to break down again.

"If you need anything, you can always talk to me." He assured her.

"Thank you, Dean." She gave him a fake smile as he pulled her into a hug.

"Yo," Seth called over, "ready to go?"

Dean and Meredith both shook their heads in agreement and the six of them walked out to two separate cars. Joselynn had a white Range Rover which Roman had bought her as a birthday present a few months back; it was stunning, much better than Meredith could ever imagine having. The three men crawled into Roman's car and the girls elegantly stepped into the Rover. Dean couldn't keep his eyes off of Meredith the whole time. The men sped off as Joselynn followed them.

"How rude of me," The dark-haired girl spoke up, "I'm Leighla, Seth's girlfriend." She smiled and put her hand out for Meredith to shake it.

"Nice to meet you," Meredith smiled back, "I'm Meredith, Seth's sister." She shook Leighla's hand.

"I'm Joselynn," The blonde-haired girl waved in the rear-view mirror, "and I'm not anything of Seth's, but I am Roman's girlfriend." The three girls laughed.

"Are you Dean's girlfriend?" Leighla questioned Meredith.

"What? No, of course not." Meredith looked puzzled.

"Well, if you're not, then he has a very big staring problem. He couldn't keep his eyes off of you." Leighla pointed out.

Meredith blushed and quietly spoke, "we're just friends."

"Whatever you say, girl." Joselynn giggled.

"Do you think he's cute?" Leighla turned around in the passenger seat and rested her elbows on the console and her hands on each side of her face.

"I, um..." Meredith started biting the skin around her thumb again, trying to hide the rose color of her face.

"You should definitely get with him tonight." A wicked grin spread across Leighla's face.

"I've never done that before." Meredith admitted.

"You've never had a one night stand?" Joselynn sounded confused and intrigued at the same time.

"Well, that, but I meant I've never had sex." Meredith sounded embarassed.

Joselynn slammed on the brakes as she approached a stop sign, "You what!?"

"Oh my god, Meredith!" Leighla's eyes doubled in size.

"Is it that bad?" Meredith bit the inside of her mouth.

"I heard Dean's a freak in bed." Leighla winked at her.

Meredith's face turned bright red as she covered her face, "Oh my god Leighla!"

"Just speaking the truth." Leighla winked and grinned as she turned around in her seat.

* * *

"Dean." Seth's voice finally spoke up in the car.

"What's up man?"

Seth sighed, "I want you to hang out with Meredith tonight."

"Thought I wasn't good enough?" Dean mocked and lifted his eyebrow.

"I've realized some shit, man. Just leave it at that and take the offer."

"That doesn't mean you can ram his sister though, man." Roman laughed.

Dean smirked, "farthest thing from my mind, Ro."

* * *

Meredith, Dean, Seth, Leighla, Roman and Joselynn all ate dinner and sat around Charlie's talking for a while before drinking.

"How old are you gonna be, Mer?" Joselynn asked.

"Twenty-three. Yay." Meredith said with a blank expression.

"Come on, girlie. Cheer up." Leighla shook Meredith's shoulder.

"It's almost your birthday, you just got a new...ish condo, and you got 5 new friends." Dean smiled at her.

"But I'm still sober." Meredith chuckled.

"Say no more, sis." Seth waved over the waiter and ordered a round of beers on him.

Roman and Seth finished their beers at almost the same time as Joselynn and Leighla. The girls wanted their boyfriends to dance with them, so Meredith thought this would be a good time to go outside and get some fresh air since they'd been in a smoke filled environment for about two hours. She got up from the table abruptly and walked outside. She had to clear her head. She wasn't having fun because all she could think about was Dustin and what he had said to her earlier. What if he did find her? More importantly, what if Seth wasn't around at the time he did find her? She found herself crying and she hadn't even meant to. She wasn't sad, she was frightened.

"Meredith?" A voice came from behind her.

"Dean." She wiped her eyes.

"You're crying." He pulled her into a hug. "Meredith Rollins, tell me what's wrong."

"Do you remember what you said when I asked you about why you owe wrestling? How its personal? Well same goes for me. I'm not talking about it."

"Okay then." Dean pulled her over to a nearby bench and sat down, lighting a cigarette. "Where do you want me to start?"

"What?"

"I'm going to tell you why I owe wrestling, so you'll have to tell me what's going on."

"I don't find this completely fair. I don't want to tell you." She pouted.

"And I don't want to tell you, but I'm going to." He took a drag from his cigarette and continued his thoughts. "When I was in high school, I didn't necessarily hang around the 'best' people. I got into some really deep shit, and I got arrested a few times. I was only 16, so I only went to juvy for a few days, but shit. When I got out, every time, I would go back to my 'friends.' I used to do everything, Meredith. I tried every street drug a stupid kid my age would. I'm not proud of it. To be honest, it fucked me up, it fucked my grades up, and it fucked my life up. I pretty much flunked out of high school, and I thought I was going nowhere until I found wrestling. It made me want to stop doing all this stupid shit. It made me want to actually make something of myself. If I didn't find wrestling - no - if wrestling didn't find me, my mom would've found me dead on my floor by the time I was 19." Dean threw the last of his cigarette on the ground and sat in silence for a while. "I didn't want to tell you this, Meredith."

"My boyfriend abused me." Meredith whispered. "He told me everything bad that happened in my life was my fault and that I deserved it. He told me that it was my fault my grandpa died."

Dean knew this wasn't the case. Seth had told him their grandpa died of Pancreatic Cancer, but he didn't interrupt.

"I have scars all over my body from him." She cringed. "Every time I would do something that he didn't approve of, another one would be added. Nobody has seen them; nobody ever will." She assured him. "It's because I wouldn't let him have sex with me. Dean, the real reason why I moved here was because if I didn't, I might not be alive right now." Meredith sadly informed him.

The look on Meredith's face showed that she wasn't lying. Dean was filled with utter rage as he thought of someone hurting her. He was shaking and he wanted to go to Iowa and personally destroy everything that mattered to Dustin.

"Meredith, you can't keep shit like this from people!" Dean shouted.

"Dean..."

"I'm sorry for yelling." He hugged her. "I just don't get why you didn't tell anyone; especially Seth. He could've taken him."

"It's not about that, Dean." Meredith tried to get him to understand. "He would've killed me."

"He's not gonna hurt you no more." Dean assured her; never breaking the hug they shared.

_"I hope not."_ Meredith thought to herself.

"Come on, lets go get another drink." Dean laughed as he stood up.

Meredith stopped him as she grabbed onto his arm, "Dean."

"Yeah?" He questioned.

"I don't think any differently of you." She said with a blank expression on her face.

Dean said nothing and pulled her up; letting her walk in front of him, he smiled to himself.

* * *

After about three more drinks, Meredith was completely drunk. Dean had about four beers, but he was fine; he held his alcohol well. Roman and Joselynn couldn't really drink since they were the DD that night, but they weren't really heavy drinkers anyway. Seth and Leighla had a few more drinks and they were hanging all over each other on the dance floor; supporting each other's balance. Dean smirked at Meredith as she kept playing with his hands, not realizing what she was really doing.

"Having fun?" He gave her a soft laugh.

"I'm tired." She yawned.

"You're drunk."

"You're cute." She laughed.

Dean grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. "Meredith, I-"

"Dean! Meredith! Seth! Leighla!" Roman yelled from across the restaurant, "Bar is closing, time to go!"

Dean seemed frustrated that Roman interrupted him, and before he could begin his train of thought again, Joselynn was helping Meredith out of the bar into the Range Rover. Roman was carrying Seth, and Dean was left helping Leighla into the Rover as well. Joselynn and Roman drove home carefully, making sure that none of their passengers got sick on the way back to the condominium. No words were spoken in either vehicle on the way back, and everything was blurry for everyone but the drivers.

As the vehicles approached the condos, Leighla had sobered up enough to walk up to Seth's condo by herself. Apparently, she was staying with him tonight. Meredith walked behind Leighla and Seth and Dean walked over to his car. Before he got in, he yelled up to the staircase that Meredith was on and called for her.

"Mer!" He shouted. "I'll see you tomorrow for the painting, alright?"

Meredith smiled and waved him a goodnight, "Tomorrow."


	5. Chapter 5 Yellow

The sunshine peeked through Meredith's window at 7:30 a.m. She stuffed her face back into her pillow and held her head which was pounding like a drum. She told herself that it wasn't morning yet; she was still too tired and wanted more sleep. It was 8 o'clock by the time she started to dose off again, but was awoken by a heavy knock at her front door.

"Fuck." She grumbled to herself as she rolled out of bed, wrapping her blanket around herself.

Meredith trudged down the hallway to the knocking door and angrily swung it open, revealing a pleasant surprise.

"Dean?" She sounded puzzled.

"Don't look so happy to see me." He teased as he handed her a bottle of asprin. "Here, I thought you might need this." Dean gave out a soft laugh.

"You thought right." Meredith held her head and opened the door wider for him to enter. "Come in." She offered.

Dean walked through the door and opened the dusty curtains. Meredith cringed and dove to the floor, hiding her face under the blanket. To her surprise, Dean crawled over her and pulled the fabric from her pretty face.

"Someone's not a morning person." He pointed out, grumbling into her ear and letting out a laugh at her misfortune of being hungover.

Meredith couldn't think of anything to say. Dean's body pressed against hers and she was lost for words. The only thing between them was their clothing and the blanket. Meredith controlled her hands from pulling him into a kiss. It was obvious, she wanted him, but had hoped Dean didn't notice. She finally let out a soft giggle as he pulled her up to get back on her feet.

"It's so early, Dean." She pouted.

"Gotta get a head start on your condo, girly." Dean explained. "Get dressed."

"Am I allowed to get ready?" Almost asking permission.

"Nope. Just put clothes on." He laughed.

Dean sat on the small couch as Meredith trudged unwillingly back to her bedroom. Dean relived the almost romantic moment he had encountered with Meredith on that same couch the night before. She had looked so beautiful; he liked to think she was all dolled up for him, but knew she wasn't. The more he thought about it, he was curious what she would've tasted like if she had kissed him. However, he wasn't going to admit his feelings before she did; he was stubborn.

Meredith rifled through piles of clothing on her floor, looking for something simple to wear. She didn't want to keep Dean waiting; she wanted to save the lecture today. Meredith quickly slid on a pair of denim shorts and her favorite Cincinnati Reds tank-top. She shoved her foot into a tight pair of red Vans; they were the exact same color as her shirt. Meredith quickly walked up the hallway breaking Dean's thoughts and immediately catching his eye.

"Nice shirt." He smiled. "I love the Reds."

"Really?" She laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I'm from Cincinnati."

"Ready to go?" She tugged at his wrist.

"Whenever you are." Dean stood up and stretched his arms.

Dean was wearing a plain white t-shirt with light blue jeans that hugged every inch of his lower body perfectly. Meredith caught herself staring at his ass which looked perfect in jeans; almost as if he was sculpted. She could also see the outline of his pecs through the thin white cotton shirt. It was almost as if he was trying to look irresistable. However, she wasn't going to make a move until he did; she was stubborn. Though, she had to admit, he was good looking.

"Let's get this over with." Meredith took two asprin and swallowed them down with tap water from her sink.

* * *

"You sure about yellow?" Dean turned his nose up at the paint samples at Sherwin-Williams.

"Not yellow yellow." Meredith explained to him and found a softer shade. "Lemon Twist."

"It's your condo." He shrugged and laughed at all the colors she had chosen. None of them had matched well together.

She chose yellow for the living room and kitchen combination, and for her room she had chosen a lavender color. The guest bedroom would be tan, and the bathroom would be a dark teal; she decided. She bought at least 5 gallons of paint, 4 different paint tins and rollers, several paintbrushes, and masking tape; Dean also got a bunch of different stuff to peel the wallpaper off with. Their cart was filled with everything they needed to get started with, so they headed to the checkout and were on their way back to the condominium to get started.

* * *

"I'm gonna go look at furniture while you're doing this." Meredith grabbed her debit card and satchel.

"That was the plan." Dean pointed out.

"You can leave the door open if you want. You don't need any more fumes getting to your brain." She chuckled, trying to lighten the mood of their conversation last night.

"Yeah, yeah. Get out of here." Dean shooed her away and laughed.

* * *

Meredith drove to Sears and looked at all the different types of furniture. She only looked for things she absolutely needed; she couldn't really afford any extras right now. She decided on a white shower curtain, shower mat, and a removable shower head to replace the rusted one. She bought a white trash can and white clothes hamper to match the rest of the white items for her bathroom. That didn't take too long, it was just a bathroom. The other rooms were going to take some time, though.

She strolled over to the bed sheets, bedspread, throw pillows, couches, chairs, and bar stools. Immediately she saw a lovely light grey couch - bigger than the one she had now - that was to die for. It wasn't too expensive, so she ripped off the paper underneath the couch to place an order. An armchair and footstool that were identical to the couch came with the set, so she didn't need to worry about looking elsewhere for any other seating. She chose a lovely table with a metal frame and glass top to bring the room together. She wasn't half bad at this.

Meredith chose silver satin bed sheets and a white comforter with lavender trim for her bedroom. She thought it was perfect for the color of paint that she had chosen. Three lavender throw pillows, and she was good to go for her main bedroom. As she continued to look, she decided on buying tan bed sheets for the other bedroom. To spice up the room, she bought tribal and animal print throw pillows that she thought were adorable.

Kitchenware wasn't too hard. She threw pots and pans of different sizes that she thought she would use in her cart. Silverware was added as was a container to hold the silverware. Towels got added to the cart as well and before she knew it, her cart was filled with all sorts of different things, and a few papers that she had to fill out to order furniture.

Approaching the checkout, she was being followed by a man. She felt extremely uncomfortable and wanted to get the hell out of there as fast as possible. A tap on Meredith's shoulder caused her to jump and turn around. It was no strange man, it was Roman.

"What are you doing here, Rom?" Meredith held her chest.

"I was sent by Seth to make sure you're safe." He assured.

"Well...thank you?"

"Don't mention it, buddy." He gave her a smile and pat on the back. "I'll go order your furniture for you." He walked off to the front desk.

Meredith's cart took a while to ring up; she bought a lot of stuff. However, by the time her items were finished being rung up, Roman was back from the desk.

"You can come get your furniture on Thursday." He gave her a smile.

"Thanks, Rom."

"Let me help you with your bags." He offered.

Roman and Meredith carried the bags out to her small car. They stuffed the bags wherever they could fit and by the time they were finished she checked his watch.

"It's already 2 p.m.?"

"You've had a busy day?"

"Extremely."

"Hate days like that." Roman stuck his nose up.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Meredith assured him. "Thanks again, Rom."

"Bye, Mer." He smiled as he walked to his car.

* * *

Meredith was carrying four shopping bags on each arm as she walked up the stairs to her condo. She was thankful that Dean had left the door open as she permitted him to do. She walked in quietly as he was standing on a ladder pulling the wallpaper off. The paint can sat open on the ladder next to him. He was sweating as all of the wallpaper was off besides the section he was working on. His bare back glistened as sweat glided down his lower back. Meredith bit her lip and quietly spoke.

"I'm back."

Dean was startled and kicked over the other ladder, spilling the whole can of yellow paint on the floor. He cursed himself and immediately got down to clean it up. Meredith stopped him as she ran over; an idea popping into her mind.

"Shit, Mer, I'm sorry."

"Dean, I think I have an idea." She took the towel from his hand. "Why don't we paint the floor yellow?"

"The floor?" Dean was puzzled. "I've never painted a floor."

"Exactly. Maybe yellow was too bright for the walls, but not the floor."

"You are one strange woman." Dean laughed as he stood up.

Meredith stepped over the puddle of paint and walked over to him. He was pressed up against the wall and she admired his shirtless body. He didn't have exceptional abs, but he was well toned.

She pressed her body to his sweaty chest and whispered in his ear, "You have no clue."

"But I would like to." Dean looked down into her eyes, this time not laughing.

It was obvious that Dean wasn't going to make the first move, but neither was she. Meredith turned around and walked away as sexily as possible, hoping Dean would chase after her, but he didn't. How much more straight forward did she need to be? Instead of taking her hint, Dean grabbed a paintbrush and got down on his hands and knees.

"One yellow floor, coming up."


	6. Chapter 6 Space Mountain

A few weeks had passed; Meredith's furniture had been delivered to her house, the rooms were painted, and her condo was finally complete. Dean, Seth and Roman had retained their titles at the Elimination Chamber PPV and started to train a lot harder than usual to get ready for Wrestlemania 30 in the spring. They all wanted to main event the pay-per-view, so each man trained hard everyday, hoping their work would pay off.

Meredith was now living in LA for over a month, and her feelings for Dean hadn't vanished. If anything, they grew more than she'd imagined, but she kept them well hidded. Dean, also, had made zero attempt in flirting. However, Meredith hadn't heard from Dustin recently, so that was a plus. She hoped she'd never hear from him again, but knew she was asking for too much.

Dean and Roman showed up to Seth's condo; Meredith could hear the loud, familiar voiced through the thick wall that separated the two homes. She couldn't make out their words, but heard a little girl's voice come from the other side of the wall as well. Meredith stepped out on the balcony, shut her door, and walked through the open entrance of Seth's abode.

"Hey guys." Meredith seemed caught off guard.

Dean quickly turned to her and hid his smile by running his tongue on the inside of his bottom lip. "Hi."

"Mer, how rude of me." Roman picked up the little girl and brought her over to Meredith. "This is my daughter, Ava."

"You're very pretty." Meredith smiled at the child.

Ava reached her arms out to Meredith; she wanted to be held. Meredith brought Ava welcomingly into her arms and Ava clung to her like a koala. Dean watched Meredith as she held the child; she looked so natural. He had thought of having kids of his own one day, but wanted a wife that would treat them better than his mother had done him.

"I see you've met little Ava." Seth laughed as he shook his wet hair from his recent shower.

"She's adorable." Meredith gave a soft smile.

"We gotta go." Roman grabbed Ava from Meredith. "I only came over to drop Dean off. I'm having a family day with Ava and Joselynn."

"And I'm going on a date with Leighla." Seth shrugged.

"So I'm stuck babysitting Dean?" Meredith chuckled.

"It would appear so." Dean gave her a wicked smile.

"Don't have too much fun, guys." Seth laughed as him and Roman headed out of his condo. He was used to the flirting between the two and it hadn't bothered him for a while.

Dean and Meredith stood on opposite sides of the room trying to think of ways to pass time.

"We could go to Anaheim?" Dean offered.

"Why Anaheim?" Meredith lifted an eyebrow.

"Your Tinkerbell night shirt gave me the idea of Disney Land." He laughed.

Meredith blushed, "I'll go change." She smiled as she got up to leave.

"Only change. No getting ready." Dean ordered.

"Yeah, yeah." Meredith rolled her eyes and teased.

Meredith tied her hair up with a navy bandanna accompanied with a navy shirt and white shorts. She quickly slid her small feet into a white pair of Chuck Taylor's and hurried back to Dean who was sitting on Seth's counter top with his arms crossed; making his muscles look even bigger than usual. Dean looked down at his phone.

"Seven minutes, not bad." He grinned.

"Ready?"

"I was born ready, pretty girl." Dean jumped down from the counter and grabbed the spare key to Seth's condo and locked it up before they left.

Dean and Meredith walked down the steps to her car and buckled themselves in for a day of adventure.

* * *

"Want a balloon?" Dean offered.

"No thank you," Meredith laughed, "I don't want to look like a little kid."

Dean shrugged, "Suit yourself."

Meredith walked around the amusement park with Dean for a while with her thumbs jammed into her pockets. He looked down and noticed how hesitant she was. He didn't want her to be nervous around him; he wasn't a scary guy. Without thinking, Dean grabbed Meredith's hand and interlocked his fingers with his. Meredith's whole body tingled, but she said nothing. Her whole face was a rose color, and Dean knew then he had done exactly what she wanted him to do.

The two of them sat down on a bench and took in the beautiful scenery of the amusement park. It was her first time - being at Disney Land, that is. Dean and Meredith still held hands as they lied against the warm metal bench. Dean wouldn't do anymore hinting around; if Meredith wanted him, she would have to make the first move.

"I wanna go on Space Mountain." Dean spoke up. "Wanna ride me?"

Meredith's face flushed and she giggled nervously, saying nothing.

"Shit," Dean blushed, "I mean do you want to ride _with_ me?"

"I'd love to." Meredith blushed as the two of them stood up and headed over to the indoor ride. Their hands never unlocked.

The wait took about 30 minutes, but at least their were in an air conditioned building. They kept heading closer and closer until they finally reached the front of the line. A little boy in front of them turned around and looked at Dean with astonishment glazed over his face. He was obviously a fan.

"Oh my god." The boy choked on his words. "You're...you're..."

"Dean Ambrose." He gave the kid a grin.

"You're like my favorite wrestler! You're the best!" He shrieked.

"I try my best."

"Will you sign my hat?" The boy pulled his Mickey Mouse hat off of his head and handed it out to Dean. The boy's mother handed him a pen from her purse.

"Sure." Dean signed the letters 'DA' on the hat and gave the boy a noogie and planted the over-sized hat back on his head.

Dean didn't mind little kids or other fans coming up to him; just not swarms or mobs of people at once. He was just a normal guy who deserved the same treatment as everyone else.

"Thank you so much!" The boy smiled and galloped away to the front of the ride.

"Wow, Dean. That was nice." Meredith smiled.

"You sound shocked." Dean lifted an eyebrow at her.

"No, just-"

"Listen, Meredith; I'm not a scary person." Dean assured her.

Meredith looked into Dean's eyes which were now a deep blue filled with a mixture of honesty and disappointment. Meredith said nothing and they stepped into the seats shaped like rocketships.

* * *

The ride home was a little awkward, but they got through it. Meredith turned down the radio which Dean was growing more fond of nowadays. She didn't think, she just let her words out.

"I wasn't presuming you were a scary guy, Dean." Dean said nothing and she continued on. "I just mean that..er..I don't know. You're really intimidating sometimes; you seem pretty solitary."

Dean bit the inside of his cheek and let out a huff. "I'm not. I just don't broadcast my life like most celebrities. I've always been portrayed as a sick guy, so I just go with it now."

"I don't look at you as a celebrity, Dean."

"I know you don't, Meredith, and I like it that way."

"You don't make first moves by chance, do you?" She kept her eyes on the road.

Dean hid the smile creeping across his face and cleared his throat, "Nope."

Meredith sighed and they reached their destination of the car lot to the condominiums. Meredith knew if she wanted Dean, she would have to be the one to make the first move.

The two of them trudged their tired bodies up the stairs to Meredith's condo. However, it felt like they had been walking for forever, even though it was a mere 20 feet or less. They were both so exhausted from the day of adventure they had shared together. Meredith supported her body against the railing and reached around for her key in her pocket to open the door to her condo.

"Do you want to come in for a little bit?" Meredith offered.

"I can't." Dean frowned. "I've gotta go train and pick up my car from the shop."

Meredith's face was swept with disappointment; she wasn't ready for her day to end with Dean, even if she had spent the last nine hours with him.

"Oh." Meredith hid her sadness. "That's alright."

"Yeah, sorry." He regretted. "I had fun with you, though." Dean gently nudged her shoulder.

Meredith said nothing. All she could think about was making a move. _How do I do this? What do I do? Where do I start? _Several questions flooded into Meredith's mind simultaneously. She unlocked her door and opened it, standing in the doorway.

"Thanks for the fun day, Dean." Meredith spoke in the most angelic of voices.

Before Dean could say anything, Meredith greeted his left cheek with her lips. That's not what she wanted to do. She wanted to kiss his lips, but she had chickened out. A satisfied grin crept across Dean's face. He roughly pulled her body against him and held her face in his right hand; caressing her sun-kissed cheek with his thumb. Instead of kissing her like he wanted, he spoke instead.

"Anytime pretty girl." He pressed her against the wall and their foreheads touched. This was it. He was going to kiss her. Dean looked down at his ringing phone, "I gotta run, I'll talk to you later, alright?"

Before Meredith could debate, Dean was already halfway down the stairs running in the direction of the Crossfit gym. Meredith caught her breath, walked inside and gently closed the door. She stood against the cool metal and slid down it slowly, touching the floor and grinned from cheek to cheek. She knew she would have to make a move soon. The guys were all going on a tour this coming week and Meredith had no time to waste. It was now or never.


	7. Chapter 7 Baby

_**(I apologize for the delay of this chapter in advance. I was dealing with two essays at school. Grr. Hope you enjoy!)**_

* * *

Seth arrived home later that night around 10 p.m. He knocked at Meredith's door almost immediately when he came home. Meredith hadn't really done anything since her fun-packed day with Dean; she just thought about how she was going to make a move on him later.

"Hey, sis." Seth walked in the condo with Leighla wrapped in his arms.

"Hey, guys. How was your date?"

"Amazing." Leighla was grinning from cheek to cheek as she stuck out her left hand, revealing a beautiful diamond band on her ring finger.

"Leighla, oh my God..." Meredith was shocked, but happy. Leighla had become a close friend of hers since she moved to LA.

"I'm gonna go get some food while you two girls catch up." Seth laughed as he grabbed his car keys and headed out the door and closed it behind him.

Meredith and Leighla walked across the yellow floors over to the couch that was recently placed in Meredith's living room. She couldn't wait to hear how her brother proposed to Leighla.

"Tell me everything!" Meredith squealed in excitement.

"You first." Leighla arched an eyebrow and grinned devilishly at Meredith.

"What?" Meredith blushed.

"I'm aware that you spent the day with Dean...alone." Leighla winked.

"We went to Disney Land." Meredith chuckled at her realization of their day.

"Mer," Leighla sighed, "You know damn well as good as I do that there is no other 'happiest place on Earth' other than Dean Ambrose's bed. Why haven't you made a move on him?!"

"Calm down, Le," Meredith spoke up, "I haven't gotten to that part yet."

Leighla's eyes doubled in size and a smile took over her face. "Tell...me...everything."

"I kissed his cheek-"

"Way to go, Hannah Montana." Leighla laughed and rolled her eyes.

"But then he pushed me against the wall and grabbed my waist. Leighla, it was so sexy."

"Then what happened!?"

"He had to go," Meredith frowned, "But I have a lovely plan." She gave Leighla a wicked smile.

Meredith talked her plan over with Leighla, and Leighla was 100% for it. She had waited so long for her and Dean to be together. She wasn't going to force them, but she wanted them to be as happy as she was with Seth.

The two girls chatted for about half an hour about how Seth had proposed to her. Leighla said Seth got a skywriter to write "Leighla, will you marry me?" in the sky, and he pulled out the ring from his swimming trunks. Leighla was almost in tears because she was so happy. Meredith was happy and also relieved that Seth had found someone as great as Leighla to spend the rest of his life with; Leighla was perfect for him and they had been together for about three years now.

Seth arrived home with a ton of food from Chick-Fil-A and the three of them sat at the kitchen counter, eating while listening to A Day To Remember; Seth's favorite band. Seth and Leighla stayed until around midnight and then started to head out. Leighla helped throw away the trash and clear the counters. She walked towards the door with Seth and then turned around with a grin on her face.

"Go get 'em, tiger." Leighla giggled and shut the door behind them, leaving Meredith alone with her thoughts once again.

A roar of thunder and crack of lightning brought on the first thunderstorm that Meredith had encountered since she moved to California, but there was always a first time for everything.

* * *

"Dean?" Meredith spoke quietly into the phone, hoping she hadn't woken him.

"Meredith, what's going on?" His voice low and sleepy in the phone.

"I need to talk to you." Meredith's voice was unsettled and a little frightened.

"Now?" His voice raised. "Meredith, its almost four in the morning." Dean groaned.

"Please, Dean." She sounded as if she was begging. "Its important."

He said nothing for a few seconds as if he was thinking, "I'll be over soon."

The two of them hung up the phone at the same time. Meredith sent him a text letting him know where her spare key was so he could get inside.

_I'm really going through with this._

Meredith was both frightened and excited at the same time. Though, she hadn't thought about what would happen if Dean didn't feel the same way that she had. What if she called him up in the wee hours of the morning just for him to reject her?

_That's it, I'm calling back and cancelling._

Meredith quickly reached over to her phone and picked it up, but heard the lock to her front door jiggle and she knew it was too late to cancel now. The door opened and Meredith knew she had to go through with her plan, no matter the consequence it had on their friendship.

The sound of squeaky wet shoes entered the condo. Dean took his shoes off and headed back to Meredith's bedroom where he knew she would be. He was wearing sweatpants and a SHIELD jacket with no shirt underneath. He saw Meredith curled up in the blankets facing away from her door; her shoulders were bare with nothing covering them but the tiny straps of a tank top. Her shoulders were shining off the moonlight that peeked through her window. Dean crawled underneath the blanket with Meredith and pulled her into a tight hug. This was the first time Meredith had been in bed with a man, let alone Dean Ambrose.

"Meredith, what's wrong?" Dean whispered into her ear.

_This is it. Do it, do it now. Come on, Meredith. What are you waiting for? Say it! Chicken._

"Mer?" Dean asked again, getting no response the first go around.

"Dean..." Meredith choked on her words. "I love you."

"You know I love you too, Mer." Dean assured her as he pet the back of her head while they still hugged.

"No, Dean." Meredith pulled away from him, sounding frustrated. "I _love_ love you."

Meredith reached over and turned on the lamp next to her bed. The immediate bright light caused both of them to cringe.

"I'm in love with you, Dean." She sighed.

"Meredith..." Dean trailed off. "I've been waiting for you to admit those feelings to me for almost a month now."

_What?_

"What?" Her subconscious blurted words from her mouth.

Dean didn't answer. Instead, he pushed the hair out of Meredith's face and tucked it behind her ear. Dean looked in Meredith's dark eyes and harshly planted a kiss to her velvet lips.

_Yes._

He wanted Meredith to prove just how bad she had wanted him, and the tight grip she had on the back of his neck made it clear. It was bad. The heat radiating from her shorts was also a dead giveaway for her need of him.

Dean proceeded to kiss Meredith and brought his roaming hands into the mix. First, his hand trailed down her neck and then her shoulder; next thing she knew, Dean handling the globes adorned on her chest through her tank-top, earling a soft moan from the back of her throat.

"You like that?" He smirked.

"Yes..." Meredith's breath was almost panting now.

"Shall I go on?" Almost asking for her permission.

"Please..." Meredith moaned as he left trails of kisses down her neck.

Meredith tugged at Dean's hair as he sucked and nibbled at her neck. He continued down her body as he removed her tank-top; revealing she wasn't wearing anything underneath. Dean's eyes widened and glazed over at the same time. He rested himself in between her legs and left kisses down her chest and fit tummy; biting the bottom of her navel. Meredith bit down on her lip and let out another soft moan.

"Dean." Meredith moaned in pleasure.

"What do you want, baby girl?" He teased her body even more.

"You." She moaned more as he pinched and rubbed at the nubs on her breasts.

Dean wasted no more time, but teased her body as he thought of where he wanted to start first. He completely skipped the area from her hips and upper thighs, earning a sigh from Meredith.

"Patience." Dean snapped.

He kissed every inch of her, taking in her sweet scent. He kissed between her thighs and felt the heat coming from Meredith's Soffee shorts. He figured he'd had enough fun teasing her and slowly hovered over her again. Dean bit at both of Meredith's hip bones, causing a gasp to release from her body. Over and over, he got the same reaction that brought pleasure to his face.

Dean finally pulled down her shorts and rubbed at the front of her panties which were soaked by this point. He couldn't take it anymore, he needed to taste her sweetness. Dean ripped off the skimpy v-string and revealed her glistening lips in the fluorescent lighting of her bedroom.

He dove into the folds of her womanhood and Meredith's body immediately tensed up in pleasure. No man has ever done this to her, and she was loving every second of it. Dean made her keep eye contact with him as he lapped up and down her, getting the loudest reaction at her clit. He wanted to watch her face as he pleasured her. Both sets of eyes glazed over as Meredith let out another moan; this time, throwing her head back.

"Dean," Meredith squealed, "I need you."

She didn't have to say anything else. Dean was quickly throwing his jacket to the floor and tugged off his sweatpants, leaving just his boxer briefs on; revealing his impressive erection behind the fabric. _She_ caused that. Dean slid a finger over her entrance to test her readiness and slowly slid it into her. Dean's eyes widened at the fact that everything felt to still be intact. He sat back on his heels and pushed his hair out of his face.

"Um, Mer?" He sighed. "Do you think you should tell me something?"

Meredith blushed; she knew what he was referring to. "I'm a virgin, Dean..." She swallowed her words hard.

"And when were you planning on telling me this?" He sounded angry and she didn't know why.

"I'm sorry." She frowned.

Dean sighed. "Its okay. Its just, are you sure you want it to be this way?"

"Yes, Dean." Meredith assured. "I need you."

Her words made a grin spread across his face again. "Okay, baby." He whispered.

Dean brought himself off his heels and pulled off the last article of clothing that he was wearing and hovered over Meredith, leaving soft kisses down her neck. Slowly, Dean pushed his way into her, tearing through her virginity. Both let out a simultaneous moan and Meredith clenched her jaw tightly with each slow thrust. She hid the pain from her face and was quickly greeted with nothing but pleasure.

After she told him it was okay to continue further, Meredith was overcome by more pleasure. Dean's thrusts were drawn out and deeper as they continued. He pressed his hips against hers and found her g-spot; earning the loudest moan of the night as she tugged at the curls of hair at the nape of his neck. A sort of burning sensation was building up in Meredith's stomach and she didn't know what was happening, but Dean felt her tighten around him.

"Mer, you gotta let go." He growled low into her ear.

Meredith did as she was told, not really knowing what Dean meant, but was rewarded with an orgasm so intense it made her legs buckle and go numb underneath him. She let out a soft groan as she bit down on his collarbone. Dean's release was coming soon after her's and without hurting her, he thrust deep into her one last time; filling her and stealing her innocence. Both let out soft moans as he slowly pulled out of her and lie beside her, facing her.

Meredith immediately curled up into Dean's glistening chest as soon as he rolled over next to her. His arms soon wrapped around her semi-tight as if she were his property. Both said nothing as they were still panting at the events that just occurred. Her silence scared him a little bit.

"Meredith," Dean pushed her hair back, "I didn't hurt you, did I?" He sounded worried.

"No, Dean, you didn't." She slowly and softly kissed his rough lips and gently bit his bottom lip as she pulled away; earning the glazed over look and smoldering eyes again.

"Good. Listen, I had no clue you were-"

"Most people don't." She shrugged. "But I love you, Dean. I wanted you to be the first."

Dean clenched his jaw and took a deep breath before switching subjects. "Come to Raw rehearsal with me tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to, baby." His eyes were still glazed over.

_Dean Ambrose just called me baby. Not once, but three times tonight. _

Meredith's inner voice was talking too much. She couldn't hear Dean over the jabbering voice in her head.

"Okay," She snuggled her face into his pecs, "I'll go with you."

Dean pet her head again and pulled her close to him again; their bare bodies pressed against one another. "I've never done that before." Dean whispered.

"Done what, Dean?"

"Taken a girl's virginity. It was kind of..."

"Amazing." Meredith smiled into his chest.

"Yeah." Dean grinned and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Goodnight, Dean."

"Goodnight, baby." Dean pulled the satin sheet over them, still too warm for the full blanket.

Dean tangled his legs in hers and pulled her closer to him. "Meredith?"

"Yeah, Dean?"

He hesitated and looked down into her eyes and everything just felt right in that moment.

"I love you too."


	8. Chapter 8 Jealousy, Thy Name is Ambrose

Meredith was awoken at 8 a.m. by the sound of her shower running and the sight of an empty bed. She frowned at the loneliness she felt, but knew Dean was in the shower getting ready for rehearsal. She knew she should do the same if she planned on going with him, so she forced herself out from underneath the satin sheet and searched through her messy closet. She stood gazing for a few minutes until she pulled out red jeans with a black shirt and black Chuck Taylor's. She tied her hair into a red bandanna - like usual - and put on no makeup. She readied herself in the mirror on her wall, and frowned at her outfit.

_Lets try this again, Meredith. This time, ditch the biker chick look._

Again, Meredith dove into her closet and pulled out light lavender skinny jeans and a white, causal blouse with a goldish blazer to compliment the outfit. She slipped on white flats and decided to curl her long, silky, brown hair instead of tying it up. Meredith did her makeup; she dabbed a pale lavender eye shadow on her lids and drew a liquid line of black eyeliner across the bottom of her lid in an "Egyptian style" as her mom called it. She accompanied her nude lashes with mascara and spread blush across her beautiful cheekbones. As she readied herself in the mirror once more, she smiled at the reflection looking back at her.

Dean walked into Meredith's bedroom after his shower and watched her as she smeared red lip stain across her beautiful lips. She caught a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye and saw that he was soaking wet and wearing nothing but a towel. She felt her body tingle, but shook it off; she didn't just get ready for over 30 minutes just to get mauled again. He slid on underwear and loose jeans that he'd left at Meredith's condo a while back. He walked over to Meredith with his hair still soaking.

"You look beautiful." He growled in her ear.

"And you look very appetizing, but I've already gotten ready." She giggled.

Dean looked her up and down; her naturally tanned skin looked beautiful with the colors she chose for her outfit. However, he found himself frowning at her.

_Oh no, Meredith, what did you do?_

"What's wrong, Dean?"

Dean cupped Meredith's face and ran his thumb over her cheekbone; collecting a rose residue on the pad of his finger.

"This." He showed her his thumb.

"Blush?"

"You know I like you better without makeup, baby." His tone was harsh.

"I just wanted to go all out today." She frowned. "I'm sorry, Dean."

Dean hated when Meredith frowned. He never wanted to purposely upset her, but he was usually successful without ever meaning to be.

"Its okay, Mer." He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear; taking in the scent of Victoria's Secret Bombshell that she had sprayed on herself not too long ago.

Meredith stepped back and looked at Dean's bare chest. She took notice of the light red bruise on his neck, the bite mark with blood rising to the surface on his collarbone, and the claw marks on his chest and back. Meredith's face flushed.

"Did I do that?"

Dean looked down at his body and grinned wickedly at her, "Yes you did, baby."

"I'm so sorry." She couldn't help but laugh.

"Its okay, check yours out."

_What?_

Dean moved her hair back and she saw a matching red bruise on the same side of her neck. She blushed.

"Dean!" Her laugh was loud.

"That's not it, baby."

He lifted up her shirt and she saw the bite marks on her hip bones and the bottom of her navel, grinning as he viewed them with her.

"You drive me crazy, Mer." Dean growled as she was being pinned to the wall.

A knock from Meredith's front door caused Dean to digress from his thoughts and actions. The familiar sound of Roman's voice echoed through the small condo.

"Meredith?"

"Back here, Rom!" She shouted.

When Roman entered Meredith's room, he stopped in his tracks. He was wondering why Dean was here so early...or maybe so late. He raised an eyebrow at the situation.

"Don't tell Seth." Meredith blurted out.

"Ah," Roman nodded, "So it is what it looks like."

Meredith blushed and couldn't find any words.

"Don't worry," Roman assured, "I won't tell him."

"So what are we gonna tell Seth?" Dean crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one side.

"Did you drive here?"

"Yeah, bro, why?"

"Joselynn dropped me off," Roman began, "So I could just say that I rode here with you."

"That could work." Meredith nodded.

"You coming to rehearsal?" Roman aimed his question at Meredith.

"Yeah." She smiled.

Roman nodded and helped Dean and Meredith tidy her room up. They knew Seth would be knocking on Meredith's door this morning like he does everyday, so they had to get rid of any evidence. As they expected, Seth was knocking at the door promptly at 9:15 a.m.

"Its open!" Meredith yelled.

The door twisted open as all three of them - Meredith, Dean and Roman - scrambled into the living room. Seth walked in with Leighla around his arm, as usual. Leighla took note that Dean was sitting to Meredith rather closely and shifted her brow at Meredith with a grin spread across her face as if she was saying "I know what you did, Meredith."

Meredith made eye contact with Leighla and blushed. She looked down quickly, and the fast movement caused the scent of Obsession by Calvin Klein to drift away from Dean's body. The scent was heavenly and made Meredith weak in the knees. Even his smell was sexy.

"Oh..." Seth furrowed his brow, "You're all here."

"Thought we'd get an early start this morning." Roman spoke up from the arm chair.

"Meredith's coming to rehearsal with us, man." Dean added. "Hope that's cool."

"Leighla is too. You guys can hang out again." Seth's words directed to his sister.

"I'm sure we have much to discuss." Leighla winked at Meredith.

"Lets get going then."

* * *

The huge stadium of Staples Center in LA discouraged Meredith; she felt so small. Seth had introduced her to almost every one of the crew members and a few of the wrestlers. She was very overwhelmed and it didn't help at all that Leighla was hinting around that she knew what happened between her and Dean the night before.

Seth, Roman, and Dean had to go work on a promo, so it left Leighla and Meredith alone to talk for about 10 minutes.

_Just get it over with, Meredith._

Meredith was getting annoyed with that stupid inner voice of hers. She'd wished it would disappear much like she had wanted to, so she didn't have to admit to Leighla what she had done with Dean.

"Meredith."

"Leighla, listen, I don't want to talk about it."

Leighla frowned. "It didn't go well?"

"No, that's not-"

"Then tell me!"

"It's personal..."

"Meredith, you can't tell me your delicious plan and then not tell me the outcome!"

"Fine." Meredith knew Leighla was right. She sat down on a nearby table and Leighla followed. "Where do I start?"

"The very beginning." Leighla's eyes locked on Meredith.

"It was nice." Meredith smiled. "He didn't know I was a virgin, though."

"How'd that go?" Leighla winced.

"Not bad," Meredith admitted, "He was just surprised."

"Go on."

"I called him over at like four in the morning. When he got to my condo, I told him I loved him."

"Meredith Rollins!" Leighla gasped. "What did he say!?"

"Ssshhh." Meredith scowled. "I'm getting to that."

"Sorry." Leighla giggled.

"Anyway," Meredith continued, "He said he had been waiting for me to tell him that for a while now." She paused. "He finally kissed me, Leighla. I'd been waiting weeks for this to happen. I'm so happy."

"Mer," Leighla sighed, "I know you guys had sex, you're glowing."

"Leighla, I feel uncomfortable talking about this in public."

"I understand, but did you?"

Meredith blushed and nodded her head.

"Did it hurt?"

"Fine, I'll tell you." Meredith rolled her eyes.

"I knew you'd break eventually."

"We were about to...um...well, you know, and he tested me out and found out I was still a virgin."

"Yikes."

"Yeah, he was kind of upset. He asked me if I wanted it to be that way, and again, I told him I love him."

"Out with it!" Leighla was growing impatient.

"He fucked me hard. It was slow and gentle and stuff at first but then I got used to it and I-"

Seth and Roman walked over to the girls, causing Meredith to dispose of the heated conversation she was having with Leighla Dean was soon following behind the other two men with the Chairman, Vince McMahon.

"Meredith, this is Vince." Seth introduced.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, sir."

"Likewise, Ms. Rollins." Vince took note of her business-like qualities and firm handshake. "So Seth tells me you're a Journalist?"

"I want to be a Journalist." Meredith politely corrected him. "I'm done with college, I have my degree, but I'm still looking for a job."

"Well, would you like a job here?" Vince offered.

"Um..well..uh..here? In the WWE?" She was flabbergasted.

Vince shrugged, "I'll give you a shot. For your first task, I want you to interview someone."

"Who, sir?"

Vince looked around and saw Brie Bella walking alongside Daniel Bryan and called her over.

"Brie!"

Brie walked over in her ring attire; she had just rehearsed her match with Aksana and looked tired. Meredith felt so ugly compared to her. Even if she had just finished a match, she looked beautiful. The fact that Dean was around these women all the time made her stomach churn.

_Why does he like you when there's divas all around him at work? He could easily have them just like he had you._

Meredith ignored the voice in her head and shook Brie's hand with sweet smiles on both of their faces.

"Hi, I'm Brie."

"I'm Meredith, nice to meet you."

"Brie, I'm having Meredith give you her very first interview here in the WWE." Vince spoke prominently.

"Okay, cool."

Dean eyed Meredith the entire time she walked away from him. She was his and nobody else's, even if they weren't official yet.

Meredith gathered questions quickly at the top of her head and held the microphone in her hand.

"Brie, how do you feel about being involved in the situation with Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan?"

"It's very difficult to watch my fiance get thrown around in front of me like a rag doll." Brie frowned.

"I understand that you have a match for the Diva's Championship soon?"

"I do. And I plan to win. I'm the savior of the Diva's division, not AJ. She doesn't have the heart of a champion, she doesn't deserve it as much as I do. I wrestle to win, Meredith, and that's what I plan to do."

"Thank you for your time, Brie, and congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you." Brie smiled and disappeared into the the back hall.

"Very impressive, Ms. Rollins." Vince nodded.

"I know it wasn't the best, but I hadn't planned on interviewing anyone today, sir."

Vince ignored her rude comments toward herself, "Would you like to meet one of our newest stars? He just moved up from NXT."

"Sure." Meredith smiled.

Vince called over to a tall man with light brown hair and a tattoo on his navel.

"Corey!"

"What's up, boss?" The man turned to face him.

"Over here, now." Vince demanded.

The man wasted little time and followed Vince's orders. When he approached Vince and Meredith, Vince introduced him to her.

"Meredith, this is Corey Graves. Corey, this is our new Journalist, Meredith Rollins, Seth's sister."

Meredith's face flushed; he was beautiful up close. His tan skin, tattoos, and rough 5 o'clock shadow was sexy in her eyes. He looked her up and down as well, possibly liking what he saw.

"Hi." Meredith muttered and blushed.

"Hey." He gave a half grin and stuck out his hand to meet hers.

The sight of smiles and touching skin made Dean's blood boil. His eyes turned almost a black and he let out a snarl as he saw them. Meredith took notice of his anger as she looked over towards him and changed her posture and expression completely. Maybe her working here wasn't the best thing for their forming relationship.


	9. Chapter 9 It's Official

"Dean are you okay?" Meredith hesitated.

Dean had been pretty hostile and was deliberately ignoring her on the way home from Raw rehearsal that morning. Was he mad she got a job? Or was it something completely different? When Dean walked into Meredith's condo with her, she demanded an answer.

"Dean."

"I'm fine." He glared at her.

"Tell me what's bothering you..." Meredith gave him a soft frown.

"Baby, don't do that," his glare eased, "I hate when you frown at me."

"Then tell me what's wrong." She demanded.

"You were being pretty friendly with Corey Graves today don't you think?" He scowled down at her.

"Dean..."

"You think he's attractive, don't you, Meredith?"

"Dean, stop." Meredith started getting irritated.

"You think he's better looking than me, don't you?"

"Dean!" She stomped her foot.

"You wish Corey was on top of you last night, don't you, Meredith? Tasting you, taking your innocence..."

Meredith couldn't take it anymore, she pushed Dean against the wall like he had done to her earlier and pressed a hard, long, kiss to his lips. As she did so, Dean pulled her waist against his body and she ran her hands through his untamed hair. His tongue dominated her mouth. Meredith pulled Dean to the floor using a take down move she had learned from Seth. Dean back bumped the floor like he would a wrestling ring and she landed on top of him, not breaking the kiss. Meredith could tell Dean was impressed with her move by the moan he let out in their kiss. Both of them panting for breath as Dean flipped over on top of her.

"Dean!" Meredith gasped as she felt the erection press against her stomach.

"Take my pants off." He ordered as he stood up above her.

Meredith scrambled to her knees and unbuttoned the denim fabric. She pulled down the boxer briefs confining the massive erection he had for her. Meredith grabbed him in her hand and started stroking his length; he was warm and hard in her hand. Dean let out a growl and watched her as she stroked him. He leaned his head back and shut his eyes and while he was oblivious, Meredith wrapped her lips around the tip of him and bobbed her head down on him a little at a time.

"Meredith..." Dean moaned. "Fuck, I love your mouth. You gonna let me fuck that pretty face of yours, baby?"

"Mmm." Meredith agreed without removing her lips from him.

The vibration of her response made Dean groan again.

"How much can you take, baby?"

Meredith took the challenge and moved her mouth to the base of him with little struggle and he clenched her hair tight as she bobbed up and down. He knew if she kept this up, he was going to unravel, and he wasn't ready for that yet.

Dean pushed her onto her back and ripped off her jeans. Wasting no time, he thrust deep into her, making Meredith cry out in both pain and pleasure all at once. She climaxed at least four times before he even came. On her last orgasm, she tightened hard around him and Dean came in her at the same time she unraveled for the last time; leaving them both breathless and gasping.

Fuck he's good.

When they both regained a proper breathing pattern, Dean slid out of her and lie beside her on the yellow floor, grinning.

"I bet Corey Graves couldn't fuck you like that."

* * *

Raw that night was better than it had been in months - years even. Creative was slowly bringing back the TV-14 show and the fans were loving it. Some of the matches were leading up to the PPV in Iowa that Sunday, and the wrestlers were fighting to get a match at Royal Rumble.

The show started out with The Uso's vs. Prime Time Players with a standing ovation at the end of the match to all four men, but the winners were the Uso's. Seth and Roman knew Jimmy and Jey were after their titles again like they had been for months now. They knew the Uso's were good, and they were also hungry.

Roman and Seth exploded during the interview they were given by Meredith, but for character reasons, her last name was changed to Harrison. The two big men stormed over to her with harsh attitudes.

"Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, how are you feeling about your match this Sunday against Jimmy and Jey Uso with the tag team championships on the line?" She held out the microphone to the men. Seth spoke first.

"How do we feel!?" He exploded. "This is - what - the forth time now that we've beaten them? Nobody can stop us! We've been on a roll since we joined WWE. We've been champions for over 100 days. We're the fifth longest tag team holders in History!"

"We're not worried if that's what you're wondering, Meredith." Roman spoke calmly.

"Good luck this Sunday, gentlemen." Meredith nodded.

"We don't need luck." Roman assured her as the two men headed back to the locker room.

Meredith felt so weird interviewing them. It almost felt like roleplay to her in a way. She enjoyed her job, though. It was only the first day, but she knew she belonged here.

The next match was Brie vs. Aksana with Brie coming out victorious. After the match, Meredith interviewed the Diva's Champion, AJ Lee on her views for her title match against Brie.

"AJ, as you can see, Brie has been on her A-game lately. Are you worried she might get the win on Sunday like she did here tonight?"

"I will never get beaten by one of those fake Barbie Total Diva's. She's only on that show because she doesn't have this and never will." AJ held the championship belt over her shoulder. "I'm not worried."

"And if you are?" Meredith doubted her confidence.

"Meredith, I know you're new here and all, but don't ever doubt me."

"Are you threatening me, AJ?"

"Just being blunt." AJ gave a wicked smirk.

"Then I'll be blunt, too." Meredith stood tall over AJ with her voice stern. "If Brie Bella doesn't beat you this Sunday, I will come after _you_ and I will come after your _championship_."

Scowls took over both of the women's faces. Meredith knew this wasn't in the story line, but damn it, she hated AJ.

_You're going to get fired on your first day, you idiot._

"The day you beat me for my championship is the day hell freezes over, honey." AJ warned.

"Then, I'll see you in hell." Meredith dropped the microphone and the show quickly switched over to a commercial.

Vince broke up the heated argument and dragged Meredith into his office.

_You're so fired._

"Meredith," Vince sighed, "That...was brilliant."

_What?_

"What?" Meredith raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yeah! I didn't know about it at first, I almost stopped you, but Stephanie made me stop. I'm glad she did, Meredith. You have your very first feud on your hands."

"I'm sorry if I ruined creative." She frowned.

"Don't be! This could work. Maybe we could have you be in an on-screen relationship with Dolph Ziggler." Vince rubbed his chin, impressed with his on-the-spot idea.

"I don't think De..um...Seth would like that." Meredith stumbled over her words.

"It's strictly on screen, Meredith." Vince assured her.

He was right, it was strictly business. Besides, her and Dean weren't even official, why would she have to ask him permission to have an on-screen boyfriend? Meredith shifted her weight back and forth on each leg as she thought about her decision.

"Meredith?" Vince asked again.

"I'll do it."

"Wonderful. Sunday night, Brie Bella will be attacked by Aksana due to jealousy, and you will run out with Dolph in your corner. To piss AJ off, you and Ziggler will share a heated on-screen kiss, and..." Vince trailed off, "You know what, creative can stay out of this match. I wanna see what you got, Rollins. The winner of the Divas match will be completely depended on your in-ring skills and it will be totally non-scripted."

This was a lot for Meredith to take in. She knew basic back bumps, arm locks, and take downs, but she didn't know how she was going to beat AJ.

"Understood, Ms. Rollins?"

"Understood, Mr. McMahon."

"Good." He headed out of his office.

"Um, sir?" Meredith caught him before he left.

"Yes, Meredith?"

"Does Dolph have a match this Sunday?"

Why yes, he does. A United States Championship match against the current champion, Dean Ambrose. Good day, Ms. Rollins." Vince walked out of the room leaving Meredith alone with the stupid voice in her head.

_I was afraid of that._

* * *

After the show, Meredith looked everywhere for Dean. When she finally found him, he was heading towards the locker room and she quickly caught up to him.

"Dean!"

He quickly turned around and when he saw that it was Meredith, he smiled.

"Hi, baby." He pulled her into his embrace and passionately kissed her, not caring who saw or what they thought of them. He wanted to let everyone know that she was his.

"Well, well, well," A voice came from behind them, it was Seth, "What do we have here?" He teased.

"Seth...I...um..." Meredith was petrified.

"Mer, calm down," Seth laughed, "I'm cool with this."

"You are?" Dean lifted his eyebrow.

Seth shrugged, "Guess so."

"Seth," Meredith paused, "I kind of need to talk to Dean alone."

Seth took the hint and walked into the locker room. Meredith pulled Dean over to the table that she had sat on earlier with Leighla. She sat down, but Dean stood in between her legs.

"You need to talk to me, huh?" He furrowed his brow above her.

"Yeah..." Meredith hesitated.

"So talk." Dean's tone switched over to hatred.

"Dean." Meredith looked down avoiding eye contact.

He lifted her chin up with his index finger and forced her to look at him. Meredith took one look in Dean's beautiful eyes and broke down into a frantic sob.

"Dean, I'm so sorry." She cried.

"Baby, why are you sorry?" His tone lightened.

"I have a diva's title match on Sunday." She continued to cry.

Dean had no clue why she was crying. This was an awesome opportunity and he was proud of her and he made sure she knew that.

"But that's not it..." Her tears still falling.

Dean was quiet, giving her a chance to explain.

"Dolph is coming to the ring with me," Meredith gained a little composure, "Vince said he's my on-screen boyfriend."

"And why are you crying, Meredith?" Both of them gave each other a puzzled look.

"I just...I know we're not official, but-"

Dean crashed his lips onto Meredith's and interrupted her sentence and sobs. He gripped her thighs as he stood in between her legs and she wrapped her arms around his neck, moaning as she pulled him closer to her. Dean smirked as he pulled away.

"I understand, sweetheart. It's your job, it's just on-screen, but if it leads to anything more," His tone sharp and warning again, "I will hurt him, and I will break up with you."

Meredith frowned and smiled at the same time. "So...we're-"

"Yes, Meredith. We're dating."


	10. Chapter 10 Trouble in Paradise

"So when were you gonna tell me you were fucking my sister?" Seth chuckled as he slammed the trunk of Dean's Mustang.

Dean and Seth had overslept and missed the flight to Iowa on Friday morning, so they were going to drive instead. 26 hours was a pretty far distance, but they would get there in no time with Dean driving.

"Uh..." Dean nervously scratched the back of his head, trying to find an answer.

"I'm not mad, dude." Seth assured him.

"You're not?" Dean furrowed his brow at him.

"I can tell by the way you look at her." Seth admitted.

"Tell what?" Dean lifted his brow again.

"Dean Ambrose, you're in love."

* * *

Meredith sat first class with Leighla and Roman. Joselynn couldn't come because of work and nobody could watch Ava. The only reason Leighla was even coming was because Seth wanted to introduce her to their parents.

Meredith sat bored, listening to music on her phone as she looked out the window at the puffy, white clouds below her. She couldn't think of anything besides Dean. He was all she thought about nowadays. She didn't mind, she just hoped he thought of her just as much.

She skipped through most of the songs that came on the 'shuffle' option until she stumbled across the song _Better Off This Way_ by A Day To Remember. Meredith loved ADTR and she didn't care what people had to say, or what they thought. She'd acquired that attitude from Seth, as well as her music taste.

**_When you fall, I'll be the only one who looks away  
When you call, I'll be the first to tell you I can't stay_**

Meredith couldn't wait to get home. She'd missed her best friend, Natalie, she'd missed the scenery, her bed, and she'd missed her family. What she didn't miss, however, was her past. Meredith knew Dustin still lived in Davenport, and he would be looking for her the second her flight landed. The thought frightened Meredith and she had wished now more than ever that Seth or Dean was there to comfort her.

**_It's all over, I found a better way_**  
**_To help keep you from me, I'm better off this way_**

* * *

"Dean, slow down!" Seth shrieked.

Seth hated riding anywhere with Dean. He often didn't listen to the radio, he always rolled the windows down instead of using the AC which ruined Seth's two-toned hair that he was so proud of, and Dean drove so fast that Seth's body was sinking into the back of the passenger seat.

"We're gonna be late, man. We're already a couple hours behind the rest of everyone else's schedule." Dean didn't take his eyes off the road.

"Look, I know you wanna see Meredith. Believe me, I wanna see Leighla too, but I would rather not die on the way there, if you don't mind."

Dean slowed down to a steady 65 MPH instead of the 80 MPH he was previously driving which calmed Seth down tremendously.

"Fine, crybaby." Dean rolled his eyes and chuckled at Seth's misfortune.

The two of them would be in Iowa in less than four hours.

* * *

"How do you think your parents are going to feel about meeting me and realizing I'm already engaged to Seth?" Leighla giggled apprehensively.

"I don't know." Meredith shrugged. "Maybe the same way they'll react when I tell them I'm dating Dean."

"Meredith, why wouldn't you tell them?"

"Because then they'll ask me how we met and how long we've been dating and blah, blah, blah." Meredith rolled her eyes.

Meredith recalled why she even left Iowa to begin with. Her parents - mostly her mother - were so protective of her. Not only that, but they wanted her to stay in Davenport for Dustin; they had no clue - like everyone else - what Dustin was truly like.

Roman had been sleeping the whole flight. He, unlike Dean and Seth, had woken up on time Friday morning with Leighla and Meredith. It wasn't surprising, though. He was the most responsible out of all of them.

There was no way for Meredith to even talk to Dean. Airplane mode was activated on her phone until landing, so no calls or texts could be sent or recieved.

"Thirty minutes until landing." The pilot called over the intercom.

_Thirty more minutes, Meredith. You can do this._

* * *

When the plane finally landed, Meredith immediately pulled out her phone and called Dean. She needed to hear his voice.

"Hey, baby." He smiled into the phone.

"Where are you at?" She questioned.

"Uh...not really sure," Dean admitted, "Navigator says about another two hours though."

Meredith frowned. "I miss you, Dean."

"I miss you too." He grumbled.

A faint 'aww' came from the background of their conversation and Dean gave Seth a hateful look.

"Shut up, Seth." Dean growled at him.

"Hi, Seth." Meredith smiled.

"Seth!?" Leighla ran over to Meredith, "Let me talk to him!" She squealed as she reached for Meredith's phone.

"Call him from your phone." Meredith swatted at Leighla's flailing arms.

The background of Meredith's side of the phone caught Dean's attention that she wasn't home; she wasn't even in a car.

"Uh, babe?" He questioned.

"Yeah?"

"Are you at home?" He knew the answer.

"No, we're in the airport waiting on Stephen to get here." She informed.

"Stephen?" Dean lifted an eyebrow.

"He's our little brother," Seth butted into the conversation, "He's nineteen."

"I didn't know you guys had a little brother." Dean admitted as he scratched the back of his head.

_There's a lot of stuff you don't know about Davenport, Dean._

* * *

After a long car ride drawn out into two days, four toll roads, and being pulled over by a cop, Dean and Seth had finally reached Davenport. Dean was told to drive on the empty back roads to avoid traffic. They were almost there.

"So, where does this Dustin kid live?" Dean muttered.

"Uh..." Seth hesitated. He knew Dean wouldn't like the answer. "He kinda lives next door."

Seth could see the shakiness in Dean's hands as he gripped the leather steering wheel tighter and his eyes grew darker. Whatever he was thinking, Seth knew it wasn't good.

"Next door, huh?" Dean pursed his lips."

"Yeah." Seth hated to admit. "Dean you can't hit him." He warned.

"Why the fuck not, Seth?!" Dean exploded. "He hasn't hit your sister enough yet to get his ass handed to him?"

As Dean thought of anyone hurting Meredith, he grew angrier. Sure, Dean had hit a girl before, but it was a while ago, and it was in the CZW story line.

"His dad is a cop, Dean."

Dean punched the steering wheel at the stop sign and waited a moment. When they arrived to Seth's house, Dean pushed his hair back and calmed down as they pulled into the driveway. The roar of Dean's muffler must've given away the fact that they had arrived, because Meredith and Leighla ran out of the house barefoot to greet their boyfriends.

Meredith waited for Dean to get out of his car. When he was standing and shut the door behind him, Meredith looked at him again from a distance.

"Now?" She grinned.

"Now." Dean nodded.

Meredith charged barefoot towards Dean and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around him, and tightened their embrace. She nuzzled her face into his neck and kissed it; earning a playful growl from Dean.

"I missed you." He whispered into her neck.

"I love you, Dean."

"I love you too, Mer."

Leighla was already kissing Seth like crazy before he even had the time to get out of the Mustang. Meredith could see the look in Seth's eyes when he looked at Leighla, was the same look Dean had when he looked at Meredith; love, pure love.

"You ready to meet our family?" Seth laughed as he turned to Dean.

"Sure." Dean shrugged.

Leighla was pulling Seth towards the house, excited to spend time with him.

"We'll be in in a few minutes." Meredith smiled at Seth and Leighla, letting them know it was perfectly fine to go on without them.

Seth and Leighla went inside the house and he was immediately greeted by his parents, Stephen, Stephen's girlfriend, and three Yorkshire Terriers. Seth forgot how much he missed this place; even the air smelled like home.

"What's on your mind, baby?" Dean leaned against the car.

"Look, before we go inside, I was wondering...um," Meredith stuttered over her words, "I didn't know if it was okay to tell people that we're dating." She looked down at her feet and bit her bottom lip.

"Baby." Dean lifted her chin.

"Yeah?"

"Of course its okay. I love you and I want people to know that. If it means that I have to answer a thousand questions to your parents, then so be it." Dean cupped her face with one of his large hands. His look was sincere.

" I love you, Dean."

"I love you too." He muttered against her lips as he laid a soft kiss to them.

A stalky man walking towards the two of them interrupted their intimate moment. His hair was a sandy blonde color and his eyes were dark like onyx stone. He came from the left hose next to them. Dean remembered what Seth had told him earlier, but wasn't sure if the man was who he thought, but when Meredith clung to Dean tighter, that answered his skepticism.

"Hi." The man stuck his hand out to Dean. "I'm Dustin."

Dean gave the shorter man a smug look and swatted his hand away.

"I know exactly who you are." Dean scowled.

Dustin looked at Meredith in such a manner that it made her tremble in Dean's arms. She clung to him tighter and Dustin reached out to pull her by her arm, but was rewarded with an reflexive punch to the mouth from Dean. The hit made Dustin stumble back a couple feet. Before Meredith could do anything, Dean was already jumping on top of the smaller man and they were brawling right on the concrete of the driveway.

"Dusty! Dean! Stop it!" Meredith cried out.

Seth looked out the screen door and ran out of the house after he heard his sister's cry for help and noticed what was happening on the ground. He warned Dean, he fucking warned him, but he did it anyway.

Every punch Dean laid into Dustin's face just bloodied him more and made him more unrecognizable. The impact of the punches were filled with nothing but the hatred Dean had for this man, and the love he had for Meredith. He was doing this for all the times she couldn't.

Seth frantically pulled Dean off of the smaller body underneath him. Dustin was bloodied, and Dean was covered in the blood he punched out of Dustin. Seth and Meredith's parents hurried outside with Stephen and his girlfriend Audrey, and Leighla. They looked at Dustin who was on the ground holding his face, and then quickly turned their attention to the man hugging their daughter with blood on himself.

Her parents looked at Dean as if he was a monster, but he wasn't, Dustin was. They looked at him as if he had murdered someone, and he wished he had. He would be much more satisfied with himself.

Meredith hugged Dean and shook in his arms as her tears poured onto his grey t-shirt. She looked at her parents and knew she had to explain why Dean did this. Seth tried to ease the event.

"Mom, dad, this is Dean. He's me and Roman's partner."

Seth looked over at Meredith and she broke the hug between Dean and herself. She held his hand proudly and added to Seth's statement.

"He's also my boyfriend."


	11. Chapter 11 Betrayal

Roman drove Dustin to the emergency room while Dean, Meredith, Seth, Leighla, Stephen, Audrey and Mr. & Mrs. Rollins stayed back at the house. The parents weren't too happy with the scum that Meredith and Seth had gotten themselves mixed up with. Seth and Meredith were always pretty good kids and always chose to stay out of trouble, but for some reason took Dean in as a lost puppy.

"What the fuck, Meredith!"

"Mom!" Seth was taken aback by his mother's language.

"What did I do!?" Meredith screamed.

"You brought..._him_ here." Their dad sounded disappointed in his two children.

"You don't even know me." Dean hissed.

"I don't have to know you to tell you that you're not good enough for my daughter." The man's voice deepened.

"Dad, you don't know that." Meredith whispered as she clung tighter to Dean's arm.

"He's not a bad guy, dad." Seth assured.

"Not even in Davenport for one hour and he's already beating the shit out of people he doesn't know!"

"Dad, he had a good reason!" Seth blurted out.

"Seth..." Meredith's jaw dropped and looked at him in disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Meredith, but they gotta know." Seth shook his head.

"Will everyone just shut the fuck up for a second!?" Stephen screamed.

"Steve?" Meredith looked at her little brother.

"There's more things important right now than you and mom hating Dean." Stephen noted his comments towards their dad.

"Like what?" His father scowled.

"I...I um..." Stephen looked down and pulled out a white envelope and handed it to his dad.

Their father looked over the envelope carefully. It was addressed to Stephen, and it looked like an official letter.

As he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter, he began reading. Everyone sat in silence as the man read the paper. After finishing reading the letter, their dad slid the letter back into the envelope and addressed the room.

"He's been stationed in Syria."

* * *

"That was pretty fucked up, Seth." Meredith scowled at her brother as they went out to lunch together.

Dean stayed back at the house to explain himself, and Leighla stayed back with him to make sure that Seth and Meredith's parents didn't interrogate him too much. Besides, Meredith and Seth hadn't really spent much time alone together since the first couple of days she'd moved to LA.

"I'm sorry, Mer, but do you want mom and dad to hate Dean?"

"They already to, Seth." She shook her head.

"Look, I'm sure they'll be on my ass later when I tell them I'm engaged."

"Yeah, but the person you brought to introduce them to didn't send anyone to the hospital."

* * *

"What makes you think you're even worthy of being with my daughter?" Their father spat in disgust at Dean.

"Look, man, don't test me." Dean scowled.

"Why'd you do it?" Their mom stared at him.

"Why does anyone do anything?" Dean shrugged.

"So, you don't have a reason for beating the shit out of Dustin?" She stared again.

"You tell me," Dean leaned forward and held himself up with his elbows on his knees, "How well do you really know Dustin?"

Their father bit the inside of his mouth and pondered Dean's question. He stammered over his answer.

"Um.." He began. "He's a very nice young man. He's an active member of our church and also the choir. He shovels driveways for the elderly people in our neighborhood during the winter, and also washes their cars in the spring and summer. When it's fall, he takes our youth group trick-or-treating and makes sure that everyone is safe."

"So you don't believe that he could ever hurt anyone?" Dean lifted his brow.

"No, Dean, I don't." His answer was confident.

Dean knew he shouldn't say anything, it wasn't his problem. He shouldn't be talking about Meredith's personal life without her permission, but he needed to clear his name.

"Look," Dean eased into his words, "I love your daughter, and I just want her safe like you two do."

"Yeah right." Their father rolled his eyes.

"Dad," Stephen butted in, "Let him finish."

Dean took a deep breath and began again.

"I've never been so protective of a woman in my life. I don't know what it is about your daughter, but she's special. Although I don't need to tell you that, you already know."

"What are you getting at, Dean?" Their father lifted his brow.

"I'm not the bad guy you think I am. Yeah, I'm a wrestler. I'm a sick guy, I love pain, I love making other people bleed; it satisfies me, but I would never hurt Meredith. I shouldn't tell you this, I really shouldn't, but I know she won't tell you, and I'm the only one who knows the whole story." Dean looked up at them solemnly.

Mr. and Mrs. Rollins expressions lightened at the fact that Dean was getting so serious.

"He hurt her." Dean clenched his jaw. "He hurt her bad."

"What do you mean?" Stephen was getting protective of his sister.

"She told me everything. Why she moved to LA. It wasn't just because of you guys smothering her, or because Seth lived there; it was because Dustin hit her and she needed an escape."

"You're lying!" Their father screamed out.

"I am? Then why don't you ask Meredith if you can see the fucking scars on her thighs! Why don't you count all twenty-two scars of hatred and disappointment! Why don't you hold her tight as she weeps helplessly into your fucking shirt as she relives all of those painful memories, huh!? Why don't you pay attention to your only daughter and realize she was screaming out for help!? Were you too busy praising Dustin's 'good deeds' that you didn't think he would ever hurt her? You're fucking pathetic." Dean was shaking and holding back his anger to a bare minimum.

Meredith's mom was a pure wreck; she wept helplessly as she always had a sick feeling about Dustin.

"I don't find this funny, Dean." Their father spoke in disappointment as if he was talking to one of his children.

"I'm not lying." Dean promised.

"He's not." Their mother confirmed as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I've seen them."

* * *

"You ready for your match tomorrow?" Seth asked with a mouthful of food.

"Not really." Meredith frowned.

"Look, creative will have you win or lose; it's simple."

"No," Meredith shook her head. "Vince said he's not getting creative involved."

Seth scratched his nose, "I've taught you a lot of stuff, Mer. I think you'll do great."

"Let's get out of here." Meredith got up from the table and dumped her food in the trash.

Seth did as he was told and walked towards the door with his little sister. This day had been potentially confusing for Meredith; her boyfriend punched out her ex, her little brother was being drafted into the military at the age of nineteen, and she had to figure out how she was going to defeat the Diva's champion tomorrow.

Seth drove back to the house to see that Roman was back and nothing else seemed to be wrong. Meredith and Seth walked into the quiet house to see everyone staring at her as she entered the house. She immediately looked over at Dean and knew what he had done.

"Mer, I'm sorry." Dean looked away from her and rubbed his eyes in frustration.

"Dean, how could you!?" Meredith cried out and ran out of the house.

Dean stood up and started to go after her, but Seth stopped him.

"You did the right thing, man. She'll be back."

Dean ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head.

"I sure hope so."

* * *

Meredith hadn't talked to Dean in over 24 hours. It was Sunday night and she was getting focused on her match with AJ back in the locker room. Maybe kissing Dolph would get rid of her nerves, and maybe it'd piss off Dean in the mean time. He deserved it, he knew he shouldn't have talked about her personal life without asking her permission. She didn't even want to hear what he had to say, she was too mad.

A knock at the door broke Meredith's concentration. A tall man dressed from head to toe in black attire walked carefully through the door.

"What do you want Dean?" She scowled.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck on your match tonight, baby..." He stated at his feet.

Dean Ambrose was probably one of the toughest people that had ever stepped through the WWE. Throughout his career before WWE, he dominated Insanity Pro Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling, and had been tortured in most of his matches; giving so much of his blood and put his body on the line, and he was afraid of his girlfriend.

He knew she was still mad, she had every right to be. He had double crossed the one he loved and he had hurt her bad in the mean time. Dean told himself that he would never hurt her. He really didn't mean to hurt her, but he had to tell her parents. Why wouldn't she tell them? It would get Dustin thrown in jail and she would feel safer, but Meredith didn't see it that way.

"I don't want to talk to you right now, Dean."

Meredith blew him off completely and went back to fixing herself in the mirror. Dean looked at her and couldn't get over how ridiculously beautiful she looked in ring attire. If this were the other way around and he was the one mad at her, he would've gotten over it as soon as he looked at her beautiful face again, but Meredith wasn't like Dean. Not in any way, shape, or form was she going to forget what he had done.

"Look, I know you're mad-"

"Mad? No. Mad doesn't even _fit_ my feelings right now, Dean. Maybe betrayed, that sounds closer. How could you do this to me?! I told you that shit out of confidence and you went and blabbed to my whole family! Not to mention Leighla and my little brother's girlfriend were in the room. How would you feel if I told everyone that you were a fucking drug addict when you were a kid and you shouldn't even be alive today? How would that make you feel about yourself?"

Meredith completely lost it. Something in her was giving her the strength she needed to snap on Dean.

"Listen," His tone harsher now than before, "I don't give a shit about my past. Everyone knows about it anyway. Did that effect you? Did me trying fucking street drugs effect our relationship now? Do I cry to you every time I think of it? No."

"And you think I like being like this Dean?! You think I like having these ugly scars that I count before I go to sleep at night? You think I didn't cry for help when he did this to me!? No matter what, it's me who has to live with these for the rest of my life, not you. Just stay out of my fucking business." She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"I'm not going to have your parents think your boyfriend is some kind of douche bag who just beats the shit out of random people, Meredith. I had to clear my name."

"And by clearing your name, you've tarnished mine. Don't worry about my parents thinking my boyfriend is a douche bag, Dean, because as far as I'm concerned, I don't have a boyfriend."

* * *

**_Yikes.. Reviews?_**


	12. Chapter 12 Royal Rumble

Lilian Garcia opened the PPV by grabbing the mic and introducing the first match to the 15,607 fans in attendance.

"This match is set for one fall, and it is for the Diva's Championship!"

The titantron lit up pink and black with spider webs flashing back and forth from grey to white. A small woman skipped down to the ring with a title belt shaped like a butterfly around her waist. Her theme song played and she skipped around the ring in her knee-high Chuck Taylor shoes, short shorts, and AJ Lee shirt which she cut up to the bottom of her bra.

_**Like shooting stars are burning,**_  
_**Light up the sky**_  
_**Let's light it up**_  
_**Light it up, light it up**_  
_**Light it tonight**_  
_**Let's light it up**_  
_**L-let the night**_  
_**L-let the diamonds**_  
_**As they shine in your eyes**_

"Introducing first, the champion, AJ Lee."

AJ sat on the middle rope with her legs crossed and her arms spread across the top rope, waiting for her opponent.

"And from Scottsdale, Arizona, Brie-"

The titantron turned to a camera backstage and the audience watched as Brie Bella was being helplessly tossed into a messy pile of boards, tools, and other electrical equipment. Aksana threw Brie around like a rag doll until she was nearly broken in half. AJ watched the screen in enjoyment and snickered at the helpless Bella Twin. She knew she would retain her title due to the fact Brie was horribly injured. She took the microphone from Lilian and laughed psychotically.

"Looks like I get to keep my championship, huh? Nobody can beat me, I told you I'm-"

**_I'm here to show the world_**  
**_I'm here to show the world_**  
**_Come on!_**  
**_Do what I say_**  
**_"Better watch what I do"_**  
**_Better heed the warning_**  
**_I'm here to give you_**  
**_If you ever doubted me, _**  
**_you don't have a clue_**  
**_I'm here to show the world_**  
**_I'm here to show the world_**

At that moment, Dolph Ziggler, AJ's former on and off screen boyfriend walked out in a black suit with a neon pink v-neck underneath. He laughed with the mic in his hand as he watched AJ twitch around in the ring after hearing his theme.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! AJ! You're giving yourself _just_ a bit too much credit!" He leaned back and laughed.

AJ went berserk at the sight of her ex like she always did when he interrupted her matches or promos.

"You may think you've beaten everyone back in that locker room, but I believe you missed someone," Dolph smirked at AJ while she gave him a hateful, crazy look. "But I don't think you've met my new girlfriend. Ladies and gentlemen, Meredith Harrison!"

Meredith walked out from behind the curtain and stood proudly beside Dolph. Her hair was beautifully curled and her makeup was done up to perfection to compliment her attire.

Her boots were metallic gold and her attire was red with gold trim. The neckline was also used as straps to hold up the v-shaped belly shirt. The bottoms of her attire showed off her long, tanned legs and beautifully proportioned figure, but were long enough to cover up the scars.

Dean watched from backstage in awe as he looked at her beauty. She was no longer his, she even confirmed it. He wanted her, he wanted what was best, and he wanted her to be happy which she was until he'd lost her trust.

Watching Dolph set his hands on Meredith's bare hips sickened Dean. When Meredith walked down to the ring with Dolph, he held her hand and sat on the middle rope and waited for her to step in between them, but first, she had to do something else.

Meredith stood on the edge of the ring and seductively walked over to Dolph and wrapped her leg into his arm as he dipped her down. He supported her with his palm flattened to her lower back and deeply looked into her eyes.

"Dolph..." Meredith whispered.

"Just go with it, pretty girl." He grinned.

The kiss wasn't supposed to be this elaborate, and it sure as hell wasn't supposed to make Meredith _want_ to kiss him.

Dolph pulled Meredith into a powerful, long kiss and didn't stop until she did. The whole crowd got a rise out of the fact that AJ was going crazy watching these two kiss, but Dean's reaction backstage was much_ much_ worse.

AJ charged at Meredith, but Meredith elbowed AJ in the mouth, causing her to fly back a few feet so Meredith could finally step into the ring.

Meredith stayed on AJ while she was down. She did multiple takedown maneuvers that Seth had shown her, and AJ was wearing out fast.

The match was going mostly in Meredith's favor until AJ reversed a move and locked her into the Black Widow which brought Meredith down to one knee, and then the other. She was fading quick, and if she didn't tap soon, she was going to pass out or AJ was going to break her arm.

Dolph saw that Meredith needed help, so he put on a distraction to make AJ release her.

"Hey! Hey AJ! AJ guess what! Aw, babe!" He jumped up and down on the outskirts and flailed his arms in the air.

The distraction worked and AJ let go of Meredith and ran towards the ropes at Dolph. This gave Meredith time to recover and roll AJ up for a pin.

"1, 2-" The ref counted, but AJ kicked out.

Both women stood up fast and Meredith's momentum was building.

_Do it, Meredith. Do it. Impress Dean. _

Why Dean was the only thing on Meredith's mind right now, she didn't know, but it was helping.

AJ ran and went to Shining Wizard Meredith, but she ducked and picked up AJ over her shoulder.

_Do it, Meredith._

Meredith spun AJ around and drove her into the canvas. Spinning Side Slam was Dean's finisher back when he was in CZW, and Meredith knew this would get his attention, even thought she was the one who'd done the breaking up.

Meredith covered AJ slowly as she drug herself over to the smaller woman and the count started once more. This time, she didn't kick.

"1, 2, 3."

The bell dinged, and the ref announced that Meredith was now the new champion.

Meredith, you did it. I knew you could do it.

Dean watched proudly from backstage and grinned at the realization that she'd watched his old matches to use one of his moves. He knew she loved him just as much as he'd loved her. This relationship wasn't over, Dolph's career was.

* * *

"This match is set for one fall and is for the United States Championship!"

**_Sierra_**  
**_Hotel_**  
**_India_**  
**_Echo_**  
**_Lima_**  
**_Delta_**  
**_SHIELD_**

"Making his way to the ring with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, weighing in at two hundred twenty-five pounds, he is the United States Champion, Dean Ambrose."

The three men walked down through the crowd and hopped the barricade like usual and Dean slid into the ring, awaiting the man he wanted to destroy.

"And the challenger, from Hollywood, Florida, Dolph Ziggler!"

The same theme music hit as earlier when Dolph came out before the diva's match. Dolph walked down to the ring with Meredith and prepared himself for the match.

Dean hadn't planned on Meredith coming down and being in Dolph's corner. This was a great downfall for him because he was easily distracted by her. Meredith hesitantly looked over at Dean who had already glued his eyes to the newly crowned Diva's champion. His eyes locked sympathetically and loving into hers. That look made Meredith weak and he knew she loved it. Although Dean didn't know if he was trying to psych her out, or himself.

The bell dinged again, and the two men were soon locking up and spinning in circles until Dean drove Dolph's body into the corner and started wailing on him. He kicked, punched, slapped and even clawed; Dean would do anything to make Dolph hurt just as bad as he was at the moment.

The ref pulled Dean away and warned him that if he didn't lay off, he would be disqualified. This meant absolutely nothing to Dean; he would lose the match, but would retain his title. But shit, if he was going to be disqualified, he was going to use much more than just his hands,

Dolph rolled into the middle of the ring, practically unconscious, as Dean rolled out of the ring and looked underneath the apron for weapons. He chose the side that Meredith was on so he could talk to her secretly without the crowd noticing.

"I can taste you from here." He snickered.

"You're a pig." She muttered and rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Yeah, but I know you love me, baby." He whispered and puled out a steel chair from under the ring.

"I never said I didn't, Dean."

Dean got up and pulled Meredith's face in his direction. She pretended to struggle and act disgusted to the best of her ability.

"You make me so proud, you know that?"

"Go win your match, asshole." She hid her smile and watched as he walked up the steel steps back into the ring.

Dean walked into the ring and the ref tried to stop him from using the chair, but Dean didn't care. Even though it seemed as if Meredith wasn't mad at him anymore, Dolph kissed his girl. Even though it was scripted, it still stung, and Dean didn't know what was happening to himself.

Seth and Roman both got into the ring and they all started mauling Dolph. Soon, a Triple Power Bomb was in formation, and the body of Dolph crashed onto the canvas.

The bell dinged and Lilian Garcia said Dolph won by disqualification, but due to rules, the ref handed Dean his title.

* * *

"Yo, Mer!" Seth yelled to her as she was about to walk out.

"Yeah?" She held ice on her shoulder from the Black Widow from earlier.

"We're all going to a party, wanna come?" He offered.

"Will Dean be there?" She lifted her brow.

"Uh..yeah...sorry, nevermind." Seth shooed his hand.

"No," Meredith walked towards Seth, "It's fine."

"Then let's get a move on, miss champion."

* * *

**_So, I_****_really thought this chapter was super long when I was typing it,  
but then I realized that its actually pretty short compared to my previous chapters.  
Don't worry, chapter 13 will be much longer. Reviews!_**


	13. Chapter 13 Home Sweet New Home

Seth pulled up to the Marriott Hotel that was specifically reserved for the superstars and divas. The parking lot was filled with nice vehicles of different models, but only one stood out in particular to Meredith; the 2012 Midnight Blue Mustang. He was here, just like Seth had promised.

It was pretty chilly outside, so Seth gave Meredith his jacket and helped her slightly injured body out of his car. They walked into the hotel and everyone was in the same room dancing, talking and drinking. The lights were dim and everyone watched as the two siblings made their way into the ballroom with the rest of the roster.

Dean's eyes immediately spotted Meredith as she was hanging Seth's jacket. Her shoulder was being iced, and soon, she removed the pack as well. She looked great; she'd changed into normal clothing, but her beauty stayed the same.

Meredith didn't notice Dean until she turned around. She wanted to talk to him; tell him she was wrong which she didn't often admit, but he had already been drinking, and Dean scared her when he was drunk sometimes, so she ignored him for a while and walked over to the crowd of her new fellow divas.

"Hey Mer, nice job tonight!" She heard a woman shout over the music.

Meredith turned to look over her still chilly shoulder, and it was former Women's Champion, Lita. She couldn't believe it, Lita was her idol growing up, and the fact that she was here congratulating Meredith was phenomenal. Meredith figured Lita was here for CM Punk; they'd finally admitted to being official.

"Oh my goodness, thank you. That means a lot to me." Meredith gasped in shock.

"Tougher than it looks, huh?" Lita spoke to Meredith, but her eyes were on Punk across the room.

It was pretty hard to hear Lita over the music, but Meredith made due.

"Yeah. I didn't think I could do it, I didn't think I had it in me."

"You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, Rollins." Lita smiled.

"I've realized that tonight." Meredith frowned and looked in the direction of Dean, catching his eye again.

Lita took notice of Meredith's sorrow and spoke up.

"He's been talking about you all night, you know," Lita began, "Dean. He's into you, Meredith. I've never seen him like this in all the time I've known him. You must be special." She admitted.

Dean looked away painfully, causing Meredith's heart to crack a little.

"I love him," Meredith swallowed the frog in her throat, trying not to cry, "I love that jerk."

"Talk to him." Lita advised.

"If I'm going to do that, then I'll need a drink first."

* * *

Dean was over on the other side of the room with his usual buddies - Seth, Roman, Punk, and Solomon Crowe, who he'd tag teamed with in CZW - and he was trying not to get hammered off his ass. This was unprecedented of Dean; he'd never turned down shots or beer to have a sober conversation with a woman before, but Meredith wasn't an ordinary woman, she was anything but.

Dean knew Meredith had a couple drinks. He'd watched her go to the bar area with Lita, and she ordered her favorite drinks that she could handle. If she drank anything besides beer, wine, or Long Island's, she would become incoherent. Dean had watched her drink two glasses of wine as red as her ring attire from earlier, so he knew she was fine.

Dean knew he would have to make the first move in effort in trying to talk to Meredith. Not because he knew she wouldn't, but because he wanted the chance to talk first and ease her anger towards him, even though he knew she couldn't stay mad for long; her eyes at the ring tonight confirmed his theory.

Meredith glanced over at Dean with a glossy look in her eyes and he could see her blush in the dim light as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She had been talking to Lita, but she soon walked away; leaving Meredith with nothing but a drink in her hand. He had to talk to her now. Talking would make things easier, and probably better. Then Dean could finally drink with his favorite girl and take her back to his room later when she got tired or too drunk. He wanted to take care of her.

Dean slowly made his way away from his friends and walked towards the woman who had been his and only his. He wasted little time in interlocking her free hand into his and gently pressing it to the wall along with her body. He breathed in her scent as she had done to him simultaneously, and he knew he couldn't lose her.

"Hi." He grumbled into her ear.

"Hey." She whispered.

"I'm sorry." He whispered back.

"It's okay, I'm not mad anymore." She promised him.

"I still wanna prove myself." He frowned into her eyes.

"But-"

Dean lightly pressed his lips down to Meredith's and pulled back. Her sweet taste was on his lips once again like he had craved for a few days. Dean pulled away and cupped Meredith's face in his hand.

"I don't think my boyfriend would like that." She teased him.

"Oh?" Dean lifted his brow, "and who's that?" He chuckled.

"His name is Dean. You shouldn't piss him off, or he'll send you to the hospital."

Dean chucked again and rubbed her fragile face with his thumb.

"Hi, I'm Dean Ambrose," He gently smiled, "And I'm an asshole."

Meredith smirked as she looked into his deep blue eyes. He looked as if she was the only woman on the planet.

"I'm Meredith Rollins," She smiled again, "And I'm hopelessly in love with an asshole."

* * *

Dean led Meredith up to his hotel room like he had told himself he would earlier if she'd gotten too drunk.

He slowly undressed her down to her bra and panties and she laid on the bed. Dean was almost as bad as Meredith, and he didn't know if this was a good idea or not.

Meredith pulled Dean's shirt over his head and fumbled with his jeans. He thought it would be easier if he did it himself, so he did. She pulled her panties off as he had done with his boxer briefs and then she pulled him down to her.

As things were heating up, he flipped her over on top of him - her legs on either side of his upper body - and unhooked her bra and threw it to the floor. She started kissing down his scruffy neck and rubbed his chest. He couldn't take it anymore, he needed her and he knew she needed him by the heat radiating onto his abdomen.

Dean crawled on top of Meredith and thrust himself fully into her, earning moans from the both of them. He forgot how good she felt, and this time, she'd felt even better than ever.

"Dean..." She gasped as she dug her nails deeper into his muscular back.

"Already, baby?" He grinned into her neck as he sucked and bit at it.

"Mmm..."

She threw her head back and soon unraveled around him, drawing his release from him as well. He collapsed beside her and she quickly curled into his arms like she had done the first time he had her like this. She remembered that moment and smiled to herself.

"Dean?"

"Yeah, Mer?"

"I'm sorry." She let out a few tears onto his bare chest.

"Hey," He sat up and held her as she wrapped around him, "Babe, I promise I'll do whatever it takes to be with you. I need your trust back."

"It's not that," She assured and wiped her eyes, "I shouldn't even be mad at you."

"Listen," Dean's tone deepened, "You need to realize that you're beautiful. How do you expect to love me if you don't even love yourself?"

_He's right, Meredith._

* * *

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday had passed since Meredith and Dean somewhat made up, and they - Roman, Seth, Leighla, Dean and Meredith - would be leaving Iowa to go back to LA later that day, but first, that had to bring someone to the airport with them.

* * *

Back at the house stood a nineteen-year-old boy with two suitcases in his hands, his head shaved, and a scared look on his face. Today was the day Stephen was leaving for Syria for two months, and everything was just getting too real, too fast.

Everyone arrived at the airport and everything was quiet. Stephen didn't want to go. It was obvious, but then again, nobody ever volunteers to randomly leave their family in less than a weeks notice to a country they're unfamiliar with.

"Be safe, okay?" Meredith smothered her little brother in a hug.

"Okay." He whispered and held her tighter.

Both of them cried into the arms of each other. Meredith was very close with both of her brothers, but her brothers weren't really close with each other.

Their parents hugged Stephen and wished him luck and told him to be safe as Meredith had, but all Seth did was pat him on the back and smile. Maybe that's all he needed to do to show he cared about his little brother. The clock struck 12:00 p.m. and Stephen had to get a move on. Soon, Mr. and Mrs. Rollins would have gone from having all of their children at home, to having none.

Seth and Meredith hugged Stephen and their parents for the last time before everyone made separate ways towards the airplanes and that was it, they were heading home. Meredith glanced over and saw Stephen look around, but then looked down again. She had just realized that Audrey was nowhere in sight to tell him goodbye.

* * *

Roman drove Dean's car back to LA and the group bought an extra plane ticket so Dean and Seth could ride with their girls since they couldn't on the way up. In just under a week, so much had changed; Meredith had broken up with and somewhat gotten back together with Dean, she had been crowned the new Diva's Champion, Dustin was in the hospital, and Stephen was being stationed in the middle of an awful war. Meredith's head was spinning and she felt sick.

"Mer, you alright?" Dean rubbed her back as she snuggled into his chest.

"Just a lot to deal with." She shook her head.

"It's probably just jet lag," Dean assured, "Relax and rest your eyes, babe."

Meredith did what Dean had told her, and tried to rest her eyes, but to no avail; Dean smelled too good, and Meredith was too upset to sleep. Dean held her hand and assured her she would be okay and he would stay with her tonight if she needed him to.

Meredith realized Dean and Leighla were practically the only two people that were there for her when she needed then lately. She moved here to be closer to Seth, but as the days turned into weeks, the close relationship and bonding time between the two siblings was cut shorter and shorter to where it was almost non-existent.

Dean traded Meredith seats so she was sitting by the window. He pulled out her phone from her bag and gave it to her, along with pink ear buds so she could listen to music and stare off into space like he knew she loved to do. She didn't necessarily have to think about anything, she just liked staring off and dealing with nothing for the few seconds that her brain allowed.

Meredith immediately calmed down a little bit and her nerves slowed as well. She clicked on the 'music' app of her phone and the song Have Faith In Me by A Day To Remember played through the small, pink ear buds.

**_I said I'd never let you go,_**  
**_And I never did._**  
**_I said I'd never let you fall,_**  
**_And I always meant it._**

As Dean expected, Meredith stared off into space. He admired her soft features as the sun beamed onto her face from the window. He didn't understand why or how anyone could possibly physically hurt her, or why they'd even want to. The time was 5:45 p.m. and they'd still be on the plane for a couple more hours.

**_If you didn't have a chance,_**  
**_Then I never did._**  
**_You'll always find me,_**  
**_Right there again._**

Meredith looked down at her bare fingers and wondered what Leighla felt like; what it felt like to be engaged to the man she was in love with. Meredith hoped and also wondered if Dean would ever do that with her. Though they'd only been dating officially for a couple weeks, Meredith had loved him since the first day she'd seen him and she knew Dean felt the same way she did. Meredith didn't want Dean getting away from her, he was too special. She needed to tell him that she wanted to take the next step.

Dean looked over at her to catch her warm smile glistening towards him. He gave her a goofy look and caused her to giggle.

"What's funny?" He grinned.

"Nothing babe, I just..." Meredith pushed his hair back.

"You just what?" He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"I love you, Dean. I hope you know that."

"I know, Mer." He smiled as he shook his head and held her hand in his. "I love you too."

Meredith layed a soft kiss to Dean's lips and gently bit it as she pulled away. He growled while she giggled.

"I don't think my girlfriend would like that." He teased. "She's the Diva's champ, ya know."

Meredith giggled and playfully pushed his shoulder. He smiled back and she just went for it.

"Stay with me tonight, please." She whispered.

Dean shook his head and whispered back.

"Okay."

* * *

When the flight landed, it was about 9:00 p.m. in California. As Dean promised, he stayed with Meredith that night and she was acting rather different towards him. Not bad, not good, just different.

"Something wrong, Mer?"

"No." She bit her lip and looked around.

"Then what is it?" He asked again.

"I love this," She admitted, "I love having you stay with me. I love waking up in your arms, and I love the scent you leave on the sheets. I feel so safe when you're with me, Dean."

Dean smiled as her feelings poured out from her. She really did love him, just like he thought she did. Dean didn't think he would ever fall for someone, let alone this fast. Dean and Meredith wrapped themselves in each other's arms; his chin rested on the top of her head, and her face buried into his chest, taking in his scent. Dean grinned and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing to me, Meredith?" He couldn't believe she was making him fall in love.

"I can hear your heart beat." She smiled as she whispered into his chest.

"It's yours, you know." He muttered. "My heart."

The hug didn't break and Meredith finally built up the courage she needed.

"Move in with me, Dean." She whispered again, this time sounding as if it were a plea.

Dean stood silent, taking in her offer which sounded more like a request. He thought for a second how he would feel this everyday if he'd agreed to move in. He would no longer feel the pain of having to leave her at night, and they could be together all the time; it was perfect. He looked down at her and answered softly.

"Okay."

* * *

**_Told you it'd be longer. Reviews? (:_**


	14. Chapter 14 Wedding Dresses and Pills

A week and a half had passed since the return home to LA, and everything was slowly going back to normal. Dean had finished moving into Meredith's condo last week, but it didn't take much effort in moving a couple of suitcases of clothes. Dean was going to workout with Seth and Roman today and Leighla wanted Joselynn and Meredith to go with her to pick out stuff for her wedding. They planned to go at around 11:00.

The shower at Meredith's house turned on at 9:00 a.m. that morning like it had for the past week. Dean always woke up so early and that was one thing Meredith didn't like about him. She wanted to curl up in his arms until the late hours of the morning and then make him an elegant breakfast or lunch like a good girlfriend, but she would never get the chance to do so.

At 9:15, the squeaky faucet turned off and Meredith heard Dean moving around in the bathroom. Dean soon walked out of the bathroom and made his way across the hall to Meredith's room in a pink towel.

"Pink is definitely your color." She laughed.

"Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes at her.

Dean rifled through a drawer in his dresser, looking for boxers. When he picked a pair up, a pink box lay underneath them and he picked it up. As Dean further inspected the box, his heart sank and he quickly turned around to Meredith with a scowl on his face.

"What's this?" He held it up to her.

Meredith groggily rolled over and looked at the box he was holding in his large hand. She immediately sprang out of bed and darted towards him in a frantic state.

"Dean! No!"

"Meredith, what the fuck."

"It's not...I might..um..." She stammered over her words.

Dean never thought he would find a pregnancy test in his dresser drawer. The fact that Meredith went behind his back and didn't tell him she was having thoughts about being pregnant pissed him off. What if she was? He didn't want to think of that. She was already freaking out enough and if she was pregnant, he didn't want to upset her even more and harm the baby. Even though, on the inside, he was freaking out too.

"When were you gonna tell me?" He shook his head back and forth and sarcastically laughed.

"I didn't know if I was..."

"And what if you are!? Then what!? My career is over! Everything I fucking worked so hard to get! Everything I fucking poured my soul into! Gone! I'm only twenty-seven, Meredith! I haven't even gotten the time to show off my talent! This is bullshit! You get mad at me for fucking going behind your back and sticking my nose in your god damned business, but its perfectly okay for you to go behind mine for something that I might have to take care of for the rest of my life!?" Dean was livid, he didn't care if he was screaming at her.

"I'm so fucking sorry it would be a god damned convenience for you to put your career on hold when there could be a baby growing inside of me. Your baby!" She pushed Dean out of her way and rushed out of the room with tears rolling down her face.

Dean was too mad to chase after her. She needed to be alone just as much as he did right now. Dean sat on the edge of the bed and tried to make sense of all this. Thing is, there was nothing to make sense about. This was his stupid mistake, not Meredith's. Dean was the one who had sex with Meredith when they were both drunk. She wanted him just as bad as he did, but he was the one who went through with it and forgot to wear protection. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt for making Meredith cry. He got up from the bed and found her lying on the couch face down into a throw pillow, hopelessly sobbing into it.

"Babe..."

"Leave me alone, Dean." She warned, her face never left the plush material as she cried harder.

"Hey," Dean lie next to her and pulled her into a hug, "I'm sorry."

Meredith's words were silent, but her tears still rolled and she was shaking out of control. He continued, knowing she was still waiting on what else he had to say to her.

"I didn't mean I wouldn't take care of the kid," He continued, "I just wasn't expecting this."

"I know." She managed to speak.

"It'll be okay." He promised.

"It's just...my period is late, and this has never happened to me before.'

"How late?"

"A few days."

Dean nodded, not saying anything. He knew Meredith would be a wonderful mother. He remembered how natural she looked when she held Ava for the first time, how good she'd looked. If she was pregnant, there was no doubt that she would be a great mom, but Dean wasn't sure he was ready to be a dad.

"I can always get rid of it."

"What? Meredith, no." He scowled.

"I'm just throwing out suggestions."

Dean and Meredith sat up and he rubbed her back, trying to calm her nerves.

"You should go get ready." Dean recommended. "We both have busy days ahead of us."

"Yeah." She nodded.

"I'll be home around nine, okay?"

"Okay."

"Then when I get home, you can take that test."

* * *

"What color scheme were you thinking for the wedding, Lei?" Joselynn asked while rummaging through books at the bridal boutique.

"I was thinking Tiffany blue and white."

"That'll be beautiful." Meredith smiled.

"Beautiful colors for a beautiful bride." Joselynn smiled.

"We have to get you a dress!" Meredith remembered.

"Ugh." Leighla sighed. "I just wanna be married. This is too much work."

"Nobody said it would be easy." Joselynn pointed out.

"But nobody said it would be this hard." Leighla frowned.

"I'll plan your wedding for you, Lei. Meredith will help me."

"Yeah." Meredith nodded at Joselynn.

Leighla smiled at her two best friends. "Thanks guys, you're the best."

* * *

Dean looked above his head at the black bar underneath the red ceiling. He rubbed his calloused hands together before he jumped up and gripped the unforgiving metal. Dean hated pull-ups, actually, he hated Crossfit, but Seth made him do it. Seth; that was the last thing he wanted to think about. How would Dean tell Seth that he may have knocked up his innocent little sister? Dean quickly shook the thought of the conversation and began to pull himself up over the bar again and again until his arms were numb; sweat trickled down his fit, shirtless body.

Seth was doing pull-ups on the rings, and Roman was doing squats with 100 pound weights. It was no secret that Roman was the strongest of the three men, Seth was the high flyer, and Dean was the toughest and the best at promos. Even though Dean wasn't the strongest, he pushed himself to the limit every single time he stepped foot into a fitness center.

Thinking about Meredith being pregnant scared Dean to death, but he didn't want her to know that because he didn't want her to think he wanted her to get rid of it if she was. Dean reached into his bag and pulled out a prescription bottle of muscle relaxers. He didn't count how many he poured into his hand, he just took them. He took them, and he knew exactly what road he was headed down again, but he was too scared at that moment to do anything about it.

As soon as Dean threw the bottle back into his bag, he heard Seth call over to him as he walked closer.

"Hey man, you okay?" The worried two-toned man spoke. "Your workout looked pretty sloppy today."

"Yeah." Dean rubbed his temples as he slid down against the wall. "I just...I don't feel good today."

Dean's face turned a pale color and he looked awful. He looked as if he could hack at any given moment. Seth handed Dean a cold bottle of water and ruffled his sweat-soaked head.

"Sit tight, man. We're gonna finish our session." Seth informed.

Dean nodded and leaned against the cold, red wall and shut his eyes. He could feel the pills kicking in as his body loosened. When Dean opened his eyes again, everything was blurry and in slow motion. However many pills he took were enough to make him unable to stand up. At the many failed attempts of trying to slide up the wall to stand, Dean crashed back to the rubber floor. Seth took note of his collapsed friend and cried out for Roman to help him lift Dean up. His limp body was dead weight in their tired arms.

"Dean." Roman shook him.

"Dean!" Seth repeated louder.

"Nnnng..." Dean groaned and quickly sat up, puking his guts up into the trashcan beside him.

Seth winced at the sight of this.

"I think we should call it a day, boys." Roman turned his nose up at the sound of dry heaves coming from Dean's body.

Seth nodded, "I think you're right."

* * *

It was only four o'clock and the girls knew their boyfriends wouldn't be home for about five hours. Somehow Joselynn had convinced Leighla to agree on looking at wedding dresses. The girls were having a lovely time and Meredith forgot about everything for a while.

"Oh my gosh!" Leighla shrieked. "This is beautiful! Oh! So it this! And that! I want them all!" She ran around the boutique like a crazy woman.

"Relax." Meredith mimicked Dean's voice.

"I'm just really happy." Leighla gently smiled.

"I'm so happy for you, Lei." Joselynn smiled as she got Ava back to sleep.

Meredith looked over at the happy mother. How was it that Roman didn't need to take time off work to take care of his child, but Dean thought it would be mandatory for him to do so? Maybe Dean wanted to be the best father he could be. Maybe deep down, he wanted a break from his job, but didn't want to admit it. Whatever it was, at least he was calmer now than he was before. Meredith hated when he was so mad at her. His screaming had really scared her, though she wouldn't admit it.

"Me too, Lei." Meredith added. "Leighla, I love Seth so much. I never thought he would find someone to fit his goofy personality and exotic taste in music, but you fit the puzzle perfectly. Every time I see you look at him, it's like you're looking at him with nothing but pure admiration and love in your heart. I know you truly love him, and I know he feels the same for you. I'm so happy to have you as my sister-in-law."

Leighla smiled at everything Meredith had said. She knew everything Meredith was telling her was absolutely true. With tears streaming down her face, Leighla felt nothing but love in her heart and the thoughts of her future with Seth were soon coming into play.

"Mer?" Leighla questioned as she wiped her eyes.

"Yeah, Lei?"

"Thank you...so much." She whispered.

"It's no problem." Meredith assured.

"Will you do something for me, Mer?"

"Depends on what it is." Meredith laughed.

"Will you be my maid of honor?"

Leighla looked down at Meredith from the stage she was standing on to model a beautiful white, strapless, form-fitting dress. Leighla looked so beautiful and she knew it was her Cinderella dress she'd dreamed of wearing ever since she was a little girl. Meredith sat in pure shock as she reviewed Leighla's question in her head.

_Might as well, Meredith. Not like you're getting married anytime soon. _

Her inner voice mocked her. Meredith thought about this question for a while until she looked up at the smiling, warm-hearted girl with dark hair who she would soon be calling her sister-in-law. Meredith smiled back and nodded her head.

"Yes."

* * *

The sin was starting to settle down over the horizon, causing the whole west coast to illuminate in a deep orange color. It was almost time for Dean to be arriving home. Meredith sat on the bathroom sink after watching the sky and sat in silence. She shut her eyes and rubbed her stomach. She didn't feel pregnant, but then again, she didn't know what being pregnant actually felt like. She rubbed her stomach some more, and then started rambling.

"I don't know if there's anything in here," She rubbed at her flat stomach, "But if there is, I want you to know that you're not a mistake and and never will be in my eyes. I just want what's best for you, and the way I've been treating my body lately scares me for your health."

Meredith had been drinking a lot at these parties with the other superstars and divas. That's exactly where this happened, a party. She was drunk, but she found herself craving Dean. She didn't make him wear protection, but he never did; she was on the pill, but had forgotten to take it for a week or two, due to her busy new career which she would later think about resigning from. Meredith continued to rub and talk to her belly.

"I want you to be healthy. I want you to be intelligent, and I want you to be strong; two things that your momma doesn't seem to be right now. Don't be surprised if it's just me and you for a while, your daddy is pretty scared. I'm not gonna lie, I am too, though. We weren't expecting you, but I won't ever get rid of you, I promise, baby. Don't tell anyone this," She giggled at how silly that sounded, "But I got a great job offer out in Cincinnati. It's a once in a lifetime job, and it could really help me out. I want to take it, but I don't know how to tell my family, or more importantly, Dean. The more I think about it, I guess it wouldn't be so bad to have a little Meredith or Dean around. I love you...whoever you are." Meredith smiled and patted her tummy.

She heard the knob to her condo jiggle and she hopped down from the sink to see Dean limping into the living room in the darkness with a cold water bottle on his neck.

"Dean, you look like shit." Meredith frowned.

"Thanks, I've been told that before, never by my girlfriend though." He rolled his eyes.

"I didn't mean-"

"I know what you meant, Meredith. I know I look like shit. I'm worried about this god damned baby and what I've done to your future, my future, even. I would never want to hold you back." He rubbed his droopy eyes.

Meredith made her way over to Dean and held him for a while as they sat in silence. He pushed strands of hair from her face and smiled at her. He could see her eyes twinkling in the dark as he pulled her in for a kiss; something he hadn't done all day.

"I love you, Dean." She muttered against his lips.

"I love you too. You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." She sighed.

Dean grabbed Meredith's hand and walked with her down the hallway to the bathroom. He grabbed the pink box from the dresser drawer in her bedroom and handed it to her before she closed the door.

This was it. The moment of truth; this was going to determine the rest of their lives and what was at stake for the both of them.

Meredith called Dean into the bathroom after a few minutes of gut-wrenching silence. She handed him the stick and had her eyes closed.

"I'm too nervous, you look." She plead.

Dean grabbed the stick from Meredith and looked down at her before looking down at the test. He shut his eyes and let everything sink in before he looked down at the sign staring at him in the face. There it was. He looked up and Meredith, then back at the test, and then back up at her once again.

"Well?" She gulped and winced as she asked.

Dean held her hand before he told her. He wanted this moment forever. He realized that no matter what, he was hers. He always was and he always would be. There was no returning him whether she wanted to sometimes or not. He was head over heels in love with this woman, and deep down she knew this. Before answering her, he took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes; brown meeting blue.

"Negative."


	15. Chapter 15 Silence

Meredith frowned at Dean's words. She didn't know why she was upset, but she was. Dean hugged her in relief and she hugged back, trying to hide the fact that she was disappointed in the negative test. Dean leaned forward and muttered in her ear.

"Let's go to bed, baby."

Meredith gulped hard trying to fight back her tears and finally shook her head in agreement.

"Yeah, okay." She whispered.

Dean picked up Meredith and carried her across the hallway to their bedroom. She knew what he had in mind by the way he tossed her down on the bed. Meredith was turned on just as much as he was, but she didn't want sex tonight.

Dean was soon crawling on top of her and kissing down her neck, earning faint gasps from Meredith as he did. He was being very forceful tonight.

"Dean, no." Meredith closed her eyes.

"No?"

"Not tonight." She frowned.

"You gonna make me beg?" He smirked.

"No...just not tonight, okay?"

Dean buried his face back into her neck and ignored what she had to say. He nibbled at the bare flesh and she gasped, digging her nails into his back, causing him to growl.

"Give into me, Meredith."

Meredith squirmed and shook her head.

"No, Dean...not...ugh..." She moaned.

"Give into me, baby." He rubbed at the front of her panties.

"Dean!" Meredith threw her head back.

Dean slid off her panties and rubbed at her further. He ran his finger across her slit, teasing her, and she grabbed his hair tight in her fist. She couldn't help but moan in pleasure at his skilled touch.

"Mmm...Dean...no...t..." Meredith couldn't fight him off anymore, he was too good. "Fuck me."

A wicked smile crept across Dean's face and he pulled Meredith up with force and dominance.

"Take my pants off." He growled.

Meredith did as she was ordered and pulled down the fabric hiding Dean's manhood. She wasted no time in doing what she knew he liked. She stroked his member in her hand and licked the tip of him before furthering her mouth down around him. She knew she was doing a good job by the way Dean was clenching her hair and growling. Dean started to thrust his hips into Meredith's mouth. He knew she was trying to set off his release, but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

Dean pushed Meredith back down to where she was laying down and teased her entrance with his tip. She tried thrusting her hips to get him further inside, but he would pull away every time. Her frustration made him smirk.

"For someone who didn't want me to fuck them tonight, you sure do want my dick pretty bad."

"Dean, please..." She moaned as he kept pulling further away.

Dean couldn't hold back anymore. He shoved himself into her and cursed at how tight she was.

"Fuck, Meredith." He bit his bottom lip.

"Mmm, Dean. Dean!"

His thrusts were unforgiving and deep, making Meredith climax over and over again. Each time, she would dig her nails into his flesh, making the scars on his back to open up. Neither one of them cared, they just wanted to get off. Dean thrust his hips up into her one last time before releasing into her and breathed heavily. Meredith couldn't move. This was the roughest and best sex they'd ever had, she couldn't deny it.

When Dean pulled out of her, he almost immediately rolled over and fell asleep. Meredith quietly crept out of bed and went back to the bathroom. She checked the test again; still negative.

* * *

It was Monday morning, and the Los Angeles sun shined through Meredith's curtains before Dean had even woken up. He rolled over to kiss Meredith good morning before he went to take his shower, but was greeted by an empty bed.

Dean picked himself up from the sheets and looked around for Meredith. He finally found her in the kitchen, talking on the phone and setting down the mail on the counter. He hadn't caught her whole conversation, or who she was even talking to, but he listened anyway.

"Yeah. I know. Tonight. That's fine, sir. Yes, sir. I'm sure. It's what I want. Yes. We're still in LA. Oh. Tomorrow, sir. Yeah. I don't mind. I'm sorry, sir. Cincinnati. Oh, thank you, sir! Yes. Okay. Goodbye."

Meredith hung up the phone and set it over to the side. She looked through the mail and didn't find a letter from Stephen; she didn't get a letter from him last week either. Meredith frowned slightly and then jumped at the sudden sound of Dean's voice.

"Who was that?"

"Um...Vince."

"Why are you talking to Vince at seven-thirty in the morning?" Dean demanded to know.

"Just...going over the storyline."

Dean glared at Meredith, knowing she was keeping something from him. Dean didn't appreciate being lied to, and he damn sure didn't like secrets being kept from him.

"What's in Cincinnati?"

"You should know, it's your hometown." Meredith tried joking with him.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Meredith." His tone was stern.

"Dean..." She sighed.

"Tell me." He ordered.

"I..I can't right now." Meredith shook her head and tried to walk away, but Dean grabbed her.

"Meredith."

"I promise, I'll tell you after we pick up Stephen from the airport, tomorrow."

"Whatever." Dean released her and shook his head.

* * *

Raw was in St. Louis that night and the crowd was full in a sold out stadium. Meredith was nervous for her match against Brie, but she knew after tonight, she would never have to step foot in a wrestling ring again.

Meredith was supposed to retain her title tonight, but this morning, she called Vince and told him she was pregnant and didn't wish to pursue her wrestling career any longer. She knew she shouldn't have lied about being pregnant, but she thought he would go easier on her if she did. Meredith told Vince that she'd found a great job in Cincinnati as a nurse at a clinic especially for adults with drug addictions; a rehabilitation center.

Brie came up to Meredith and gave her a hug.

"You know, I'm gonna miss you, girl."

"You can always come visit me in Cincinnati." Meredith smiled.

"So, you took the job, then?"

"Not yet," Meredith shook her head, "I still have to talk to Dean."

As the two women were talking, Dean walked up to the conversation, and Brie quickly changed the subject.

"Good luck, Mer."

"You too, Brie."

The twin walked off, leaving Meredith and Dean to talk before her match. Dean noticed she was wearing blue attire, identical to the red ring gear she was wearing when she won the title.

"You got a match tonight?"

"Yeah, it's next."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He frowned at her.

"I'm sorry."

"Ya know...there's a lot of things you're not telling me, Mer."

"I know, Dean. I'm sorry. I promise it'll all make sense tomorrow."

"Are you leaving me?" He looked at her frightened.

"No, Dean. I'm not leaving _you_."

"Well it sure-"

"I gotta go lose my match." She interrupted him.

"I thought you were supposed to retain?" He lifted his brow at her.

"Vince changed the storyline." She lied.

"Oh."

"I love you, Dean." Meredith smiled.

"You sure about that?"

"Dean..." She frowned.

"I love you too, Mer."

Meredith walked off to her locker room and pulled out the one and only letter Stephen had sent to her a couple weeks ago from Syria. It was now the fourth week, but she hadn't received any more letters from her youngest brother. Meredith didn't think anything of it and just assumed he didn't have time to write to her which she understood. She stared down at the white stationery paper and read over the smudged pencil.

_Hey sista,_

_Hope everything is good where you are. I know you have that Diva's title now, so you're pretty much the princess of of the WWE. It's not too scary over here during the day, its actually kind of pretty until night time. That's when I hear gun shots and the sound of things exploding. Its scary, Mer. I don't want you to worry, though. When I come home, I know you'll tell me how proud you are of me and call me a hero, but when I think about it, you're the real hero, Mer. I look up to you, not only as a sister, but a fighter. Not just because you're a wrestler, but because you fought for your life when you were dating Dusty, just like I'm fighting for my life over here. We're not that different, you and I. Tell Seth I said hi, and that his two-toned hair is actually as cool as he said it was. Tell mom and dad I said hi as well...even though dad doesn't care._

_Look Mer, no matter what, we'll always be family and I'll always love and respect you. You were right about Audrey, she broke up with me until I come home. She said the distance was too much. My heart is aching on the inside, but I know she's right. I'm so happy for you and Seth. You two have found true love while I'm over here in Syria for not having a job or anything else going for me. I guess that's why you're the favorite child; you have everything going for you and you know exactly what you want in life. I'm so proud of you, and I that I continue to make you proud as well. Be home soon._

_Love you,_

_Stephen._

Meredith folded the letter and stuffed it back in her bag. No matter what, Stephen's words always calmed her down. It was silly to rely on a piece of paper for happiness, but sometimes that's all she needed. Meredith looked up at the clock, her match was starting now.

Meredith hurried down the ramp to the ring where Brie was. It didn't take long for Meredith to become a fan favorite in the company, but Brie was a veteran, and everyone seemed like they were somewhat cheering for her. Meredith didn't mind, though. She knew Brie was going to win, so she just went with it.

Meredith went to dropkick Brie, but Brie botched the move; catching Meredith's leg when she fell. This caused Meredith to shriek out in pain - real pain. Meredith whispered for Brie, and she ran back over to Meredith, catching her in a headlock.

"Shit! I'm so sorry, Mer! Are you okay?" Brie apologized quietly.

"No. Pin me. Pull me up and finish me off." Meredith shrieked in pain, once more.

Brie pulled Meredith's dizzy, limping body to a standing position and went for the Bella Buster, driving Meredith's face into the canvas. This resulted in a three-count and a new Diva's Champion. Dolph immediately ran down to the ring from backstage and carried Meredith back to the locker room. They were still an on-screen couple, and Meredith had gotten more comfortable about it. Dean; not so much.

Dolph brought Meredith back to the trainer's room and the doctors looked her over.

"Looks like you tore your ACL, Ms. Rollins."

"No. That can't happen!" Meredith was panicking.

"I'm sorry, I know you're scared. We'll schedule a surgery right away, but that could still be a while. We're probably talking no traveling for you for at least a month." The doctor informed.

"I have to travel." Meredith explained, "I have to start my new job in Cincinnati, starting in two weeks."

"What?" A voice came from the doorway.

Meredith hadn't noticed that with all the talking and commotion with the doctor, Dean had appeared to check on her. She knew he had heard what she told the doctor.

"Dean..." Meredith clenched her eyes shut.

Dean didn't say anything to her. He walked away angry, she lied to him. Dean knew she would leave, just like everyone else in his life.

Meredith jumped down from the trainer's table and sprinted down the hall to catch up with Dean. Her knee was in immense pain and it was burning. She could feel her meniscus tearing, but she didn't care. The pain was worth it if she could catch Dean. The tears in her eyes fell as she finally caught up to him and pushed him against the wall.

"Dean, please let me explain!" She sobbed.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" He mumbled and rolled his eyes.

"Dean-"

"Is this what you wanted to talk about, Meredith!? Is this what you were gonna tell me tomorrow, huh!? You're leaving me, after you said you wouldn't! I knew you'd fucking do this to me! Well, go! Go to Cincinnati! Find a guy! Marry him instead of wasting your time on me! I'm not good enough! I never was and I never will be! I can only hope the guy you find treats you better than Dustin." Dean turned his back to her.

"Dean, I love you. I really do, but this job...this job could be really good for me."

"Then go!" Dean screamed in her face, drawing attention from random bystanders. "Get the fuck to the airport and pick up Stephen and fucking go!"

"It's not that easy and you fucking know it!" She screamed back at him. "I can't just forget everything we have Dean...I don't want to either. I can't. I can't forget the day I met you; the way you were so charming and helpful. I can't forget the first time we kissed; it was perfect and sweet. And I can't forget the first time we had sex; you were so gentle with me, but in charge at the same time. That may have been the first time I ever told you I loved you, but believe me, god dammit, I've loved you since you looked down at me in that Cincinnati Reds cutoff t-shirt in that Crossfit center. I can't throw this away Dean..." Meredith was now crying again.

Dean pulled Meredith's tear-covered face up to look at his. He didn't say anything, she didn't either; they didn't need to. Meredith could see the pain that she'd inflicted in Dean's eyes. She hurt him bad and she felt terrible, but this was what she wanted to do. Meredith tried to kiss him, but he moved out of the way and shook his head disapprovingly at her. Before she knew it, Dean was making his way towards the exit without saying anything to her. No "goodbye," no "I love you," just silence; and that hurt more than anything.

* * *

**_Reviews? Don't forget to read my other story: Still Into You :)_**


	16. Chapter 16 Pictures of You

Meredith left St. Louis that night and headed up to Iowa so she could get a head start. Dean obviously didn't care about anything that was important to her, so she left without even telling him. She sent Seth a text letting him know where she'd gone, though. Meredith drove all night and finally reached Davenport at 6:00 a.m. Stephen's flight would land at 10:00, and Seth was already on his way with Roman and Dean for Smackdown that night in Iowa. Meredith hoped Seth wouldn't bring Dean.

"Honey, it's cold outside, you should really wear jeans." Meredith's mom scolded.

"I can't mom," Meredith explained, "My ACL..."

"Sorry, honey." Her mother apologized. "Where's Seth?"

"He'll be here shortly, mom."

Soon enough, the roar of Seth's car pulled up into the driveway and honked the horn at 9:38 a.m. Meredith looked outside and noticed Seth was alone and was carrying a set of crutches. He watched Meredith hobble outside and handed them to her.

"Thought you might need these." He laughed.

"Yeah, you thought right. Thanks, Seth."

"You're welcome Mer. Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Meredith thought they couldn't get to the airport fast enough. She was antsy to see her baby brother, and she couldn't wait to have him back home, telling her about his time there. Seth finally pulled into the airport parking lot at 9:59 a.m. and Meredith flew towards the airport doors on her crutches. Seth joined her soon after and they waited in the airport for Stephen to return.

It was 10:15 and there was no sight of the plane landing. Meredith understood that flights get delayed all the time and didn't think anything of it. A few more minutes had passed and Meredith looked down at her phone; 10:26 a.m. She watched out the window and saw the plane land that Stephen was on.

Minutes later, the plane departed and swarms of men walked into the lobby to greet their families, but still, no signs of Stephen.

"Maybe he's just running late." Seth tried to reason with his panicking sister.

"No, Seth, something bad happened. I can feel it."

Meredith's skepticism was correct. Moments later, two men in cadet uniforms walked abruptly towards the Rollins siblings. At first, the men didn't speak, they just handed Meredith a triangular folded American flag and an envelope.

"We're very sorry." One of the men spoke.

"What's going on?.." Meredith's tears threatened to fall.

"There was a heavy explosion at our base. Everyone who wasn't out in battle was killed. Syrians invaded during the night and...I'm sorry, miss, he didn't make it. We tried to contact your family, but Stephen didn't leave any addresses or phone numbers. He only left these things behind." The other man solemnly spoke.

_This isn't happening. It's all a dream, Meredith. Wake up. Please wake up._

Nothing was worth living for anymore. Dean had walked out on Meredith, and now her little brother was dead. He was dead for God knows how long, and Meredith didn't even know it; nobody knew it. The room was spinning in slow motion and the background noises got louder and louder like sirens repeating themselves over and over in Meredith's ear like a broken record. Her vision went blurry and then everything started to fade out.

Meredith could feel herself falling to the ground as her crutches went flying to the sides of her. Her body collapsed underneath her and her screams were slightly muffled by the flag she was gripping to her chest, but her sobs were full fledged. Seth tried to comfort her, but she forced him away with punches and slaps to his chest as she frantically sobbed. He kept pulling her to him, and she forced herself away, but soon gave into his tight hug and she sobbed into his chest.

"Stephen! Why...oh God why!" Meredith screamed into Seth's chest.

"Mer..." Seth tried to hold in his tears.

"Why did it have to be our brother, Seth!? Why Stephen!? He said he would come home! He promised me..." Meredith's words faded out into sobs again as she cried into Seth's t-shirt.

"Sometimes things happen that we can't explain or control, Meredith." Seth whispered as a tear streamed down his rough face.

"Just...wh...what if he suffered? What if...if he screamed for us and we...we couldn't be there to save him?" Meredith stuttered over her tears.

"Mer, don't think like that. Please, don't think like that." He held her head into his chest.

"I wanna go home, Seth." She muttered into his shirt.

Seth wiped the tears that were now flowing down his face. His life would never be the same, and he knew it. He knew from this minute forth, he would vow to take care of his last living sibling and make sure nothing hurt her. He wanted her to be safe and he wanted her to be happy, and he would do anything to make that happen. Seth knew Meredith had a closer connection with Stephen than he had, but losing his own brother hurt him deep inside. He never felt this way in all his life. He felt empty. Seth nodded and cleared his throat.

"Me too."

**_These wounds won't seem to heal_**  
**_This pain is just too real_**  
**_There's just too much that time cannot erase_**

Seth helped his sister to her crutches and they were soon leaving the airport with an even worse feeling in their hearts than when they'd arrived. They felt loneliness; nobody could fill the void in Meredith's heart ever again. All she wanted to do was bring her baby brother home from war, but she couldn't even do that successfully. Strangely, Meredith wished Dean was there to hold her and make her feel secure. Meredith knew that Dean walking out on her was her fault. She should've told him, and she knew it. How could she have saved her brother if she couldn't even save her relationship?

The ride home was eerily silent. The only thing making noises were the sounds of sniffles and the tires on the road. Meredith smoothed her hand over the flag in her lap, and tears fell onto the patriotic fabric. When Meredith closed her eyes, all she could picture was Stephen screaming for help as foreign men invaded his base. She heard his screams and then everything went black. Meredith could feel the hairs on her arms raise and she found it hard to breathe.

The two, just the two of the living Rollins siblings, arrived back home empty handed. Seth offered to tell their parents the news, Meredith couldn't handle it. She didn't want to see her mother collapse onto the floor at the words she had heard earlier. She didn't want to see the look of guilt in her father's eyes. Seth put his hand on Meredith's knee before he got out of the car.

"You gonna be okay in here by yourself for a few?"

"Yeah...I'll try." Meredith forced a fake smile and handed Seth the flag.

**_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_**  
**_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_**  
**_And I held your hand through all of these years_**

Seth walked up to the house slowly, and wondered how he was going to tell his parents about Stephen. He looked down at the flag and held it close to his chest before proceeding through the front door.

Outside in the car, Meredith was waiting silently and then remembered the envelope that the cadet had given to her. She held the medium-sized envelope in her lap and opened it up. Before proceeding, Meredith took a deep breath and prepared herself for more tears to come. When she looked inside, it was mainly pictures. Pictures of all sorts of different years; pictures of the family, pictures of everything. Along with the pictures was a note.

_I'm sorry._

_I should've tried harder. This isn't the life I pictured for myself. I love my life, and I love my family. I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die. I want to live. Please let me live. If you let me live, I'll do everything I ever promised to do in my life. I'll go to college, I'll get a job, I'll move out and stop mooching off my parents. I'll get good grades, I'll make sure I never disgrace my family name, I'll do whatever it takes. There's so many things I want to do in my life. I wanna live to see Seth get married. I want to see him and Leighla have a family. I want a nephew or a niece. I want responsibilities. I wanna watch Meredith marry Dean, as well. I know they will, they get along better than me and Audrey ever did. I just want to lead a better life for myself. Being out here has made me realize that life is serious and I've taken it as a big joke._

_Nobody will remember me if I die here. Nobody. Not even my family. They'll continue their lives and be happy that they don't have to carry my dead weight on their successful shoulders. I feel bad for my parents. They had two amazing kids, and then I came along and fucked everything up like I always manage to do. If I die here, I'll just be remembered as just another guy who lost himself before he lost his life._

_I know I don't have a lot of time here. Word around the bunks is that the Syrians are supposed to attack us tonight. I was told, along with a handful of other guys to stay back at the base where its "safe." This is bullshit because everyone knows there's nothing safe about what we're doing. War isn't safe; it's selfless. To be honest, this is the only thing I feel a bit proud of myself for. We're trying to save the country._

_I'm gonna miss my life back home though. When I think about my childhood, I remember Meredith and Seth always being there for me. I remember my aunts and uncles and cousins coming over for birthday parties. I remember Papaw. He made me the happiest little kid in the world. When he died, I feel like I lost myself, and I never fully found my way back. I'm not blaming him for anything, I'm thanking him. _

_I feel like while I'm writing this, I'm already in heaven. I see flashes before me when I'm laying in my bunk at night and I see Papaw holding me back from the light. He tells me that it's not my time to go yet, but as the days drag on, I feel like I'm ready to go. I'm not scared to die anymore, I think I'm ready. I'm ready to see Papaw, I'm ready to see my friend, Tony, who died in a car wreck a few summers ago. I see happiness in heaven, but on earth, I see life. I see everything I still have going for me, but I'd rather be happy. _

_Maybe I'll be happier when I'm dead. I just want everyone to know I didn't suffer. This was voluntary. I secretly signed up for the troops because deep down I knew I would die. My pain is self inflicted. I can't erase my mistakes. I'm sorry. Maybe when I'm gone, everyone will wish they'd remembered me. _

Meredith threw the paper down and tears were renewed in her eyes. She knew Stephen couldn't hear her, but talking to him would make her feel better.

"Stephen, don't you ever say that, got it? Don't you ever say that nobody will remember you. If anything, I'll remember you. I'll tell you how pretty Leighla and Seth's wedding is, but about Dean; I can't guarantee anything. But I can tell you this, okay? I'll never let anyone hurt you, Stephen. I'll never let anyone disgrace your name or ruin your legacy. In my life,you've made me a better person, and I feel like I failed you every step of the way. You didn't deserve this, Stephen. Nobody should feel the pain of what we had to go through today, I could never picture life without you, but now I'm being forced to. I love you, Steve. Never forget that okay? You're a hero."

**_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone_**  
**_But though you're still with me_**  
**_I've been alone all along_**

Meredith spent the next ten minutes looking at the pictures that were in the envelope. One was of Seth, Meredith and Stephen at the beach when they were younger. Another was of the three of them, a little older, on the first day of school one year. Seth was missing a front tooth, and it made Meredith smile. She looked through a lot more of then and came across a picture of Stephen in his cap and gown for his graduation last summer. Stephen was holding Meredith in his arms and they were both laughing while Seth was underneath them on the ground pointing up at them, laughing as well.

Meredith smiled as she remembered that moment. Things were so different last year. She still lived in Iowa, she was still dating Dustin, and she hadn't met Dean. Dean, she felt, had saved her somehow. She never remembered a time when she felt so safe before she met him. Meredith remembered the first day she moved to LA; Dean was the first friend she'd met. They hit it off right away and Meredith knew she could fall for him easily. She never remembered a time when she had loved someone as much as Dean, or felt that much loved back. Dean and her were meant to be together and she knew it.

* * *

_**Sorry for the longer chapter. Reviews!**_


	17. Chapter 17 Past, Present & Future

Hundreds of cars lined up to the funeral home exactly one week after Meredith and Seth were notified of Stephen's death. Friends, family, bosses, and co-workers showed up to show their gratitude and appreciation not only for Stephen, but to let the Rollins family know that they weren't alone.

_**He said "Son, have you seen the**__**world?**_  
_**Well, what would you say if I said that you could?**_  
_**Just carry this gun and you'll even get paid."**_  
_**I said "That sounds pretty good."**_

Meredith stood up by the casket covered by the flag that the cadets had given to her. The casket was empty - they hadn't recovered any of Stephen's body in the explosion - but nobody else knew that besides the family. Beside her stood two soldiers and in front of her about twenty feet or so, stood Seth talking to friends and family. He hugged a lot of people that Meredith didn't even know, but she was grateful that they had come to show their apologies.

Rows of people lined up to the casket and touched the flag while they cried and hugged Meredith. Meredith knew that if Stephen was still alive, he would never believe that all of these people showed up just for him. He had impacted so many people's lives without even knowing it.

"Hey, kiddo, how you holding up?" A hand rested on Meredith's back.

"I'm doing my best, dad." Meredith forced a smile.

"You've been up here for a while. Go get some coffee or something and relax, okay?"

"Dad, I'm fine." Meredith protested.

"Fine. Service will start in about twenty minutes, darlin'." He gave a soft smile.

"I know, dad."

Meredith's father began to walk away. Meredith hated the fact that Stephen felt as if their father didn't care about him, but sometimes, she felt that way too. It wasn't his fault, he was just really reserved. When Seth was a kid, their dad was different. He spent time with Seth and then Meredith came along and he wanted her to be a daddy's girl, but Meredith was kinda just there. She never loved her parents more than the other, but she felt as if she was the reason that their dad didn't try to get close to Stephen. Her father stopped and looked over his shoulder with tears in his eyes.

"Meredith?"

"Yeah, dad?"

"I love you." A tear fell down his cheek.

"I love you too, dad."

**_Black leather boots_**  
**_Spit-shined so bright_**  
**_They cut off my hair but it looked alright_**  
**_We marched and we sang_**  
**_We all became friends_**  
**_As we learned how to fight_**

Seth spent a few more minutes talking to family until Dean and Roman showed up in full black suits and undershirts accompanied with silk black ties. Meredith noticed Dean right away and immediately stood up straight. He looked over in her direction and noticed her right away. He saw her crutches and winced and looked down. He felt responsible for hurting her knee even more for making her run after him at Raw. Meredith looked down and felt even worse after looking at him.

Dean made his way away from the conversation between Roman and Seth and walked in Meredith's direction. She felt her heart pounding in her chest after each step he took her way. He never took his eyes off of her, and she felt her body tremble. When Dean finally walked up to her, he held her arms in his hands and looked down at her. The tears in her eyes began to fog her vision, but he wiped them away before they fell.

"Don't cry, baby." Dean whispered as he pulled her into a hug. "Please, don't cry."

"You left me, Dean." She whispered back into his embrace.

"I didn't leave you. I'm sorry, I just needed time to think, but I'm here for you now, Meredith."

"I'm so sorry, Dean."

"Hey, let's not talk about this now, okay?" Dean rubbed her back.

"Thanks for coming, Dean."

"I'd do anything for you, Meredith."

Meredith pulled away from Dean's tight hug and looked up at him. His eyes were filled with pity and sorrow. If he knew Meredith was going to need him so much, he would've never walked away from her. He knew he broke her down even more after leaving, and he knew that he'd have to work on getting her back. He couldn't help himself, before he knew it, he was cupping her face and pressing his lips gently down to hers. She missed this; she missed everything about him and she knew it was her fault for making him walk away in the first place.

"I need to talk to you later." Meredith bit her bottom lip.

"I'll be here." Dean gently smiled and rubbed her back. "You're strong, Meredith. I know you'll get through this."

"I sure hope so, Dean." She felt a knot in her throat while trying to hold back her tears.

Dean went and sat down beside Seth and Roman, and Meredith soon joined the three men and sat down beside her brother. She loved these guys. No matter what, they were always there for her. Roman was like her body guard, Seth was the protective older brother, and Dean was the goofy, charming, son of a bitch boyfriend who she argued with all the time, but loved endlessly. She couldn't have chosen better guys to have in her life. Moments after Meredith sat down, the service began.

_**A hero of war**_  
_**Yeah that's what I'll be**_  
_**And when I come home**_  
_**They'll be damn proud of me**_  
_**I'll carry this flag**_  
_**To the grave if I must**_  
_**Because it's a flag that I love**_  
_**And a flag that I trust**_

The service didn't last long, but it was beautiful and respectful. It mostly consisted of people talking about their memories with Stephen and how much they'll miss him. To everyone's surprise, Stephen's father went up to the podium and shared some of his fondest memories.

"I remember when Sheryll brought Stephen home from the hospital. He was so little, but I knew he would accomplish big things one day. I watched him take his first steps and when he walked towards her instead of me, I felt defeated once again. I feel as if I wasn't the best father. I was too insecure about myself to appreciate my two youngest children. Maybe that's why Seth and Meredith moved twenty-six hours across the country; to be away from me. I should've been there more for Stephen. I can't blame him for feeling unloved. After he was three-years-old, I barely spent time with him. I was more into my job, and I hate myself everyday because of it. I just hope wherever he is now, that he knows that I was, in fact, proud of him."

Meredith had never seen her father this vulnerable. The sight of him breaking down in front of hundreds of people broke her heart. Dean looked over and watched Meredith breaking down into her hands. He didn't care if she thought they were together or not, he needed to comfort her. Dean excused himself as he walked in front of Seth and Roman to sit by Meredith. She looked up to notice Dean wrapped his arms around her, and she didn't hesitate to wrap herself up into him and sob uncontrollably.

**_She walked through bullets and haze_**  
**_I asked her to stop_**  
**_I begged her to stay_**  
**_But she pressed on_**  
**_So I lifted my gun_**  
**_And I fired away_**

Seth walked up to the podium next and took a deep sigh before he gathered his thoughts.

"Being twenty-six, you don't ever think about what you'd say at your nineteen-year-old brother's funeral. That's probably why I cant think of anything to say, but if I didn't say anything, then I'd be known as "that guy" and I don't wanna be known like that. I want people to know that I loved my brother, even if we weren't the closest. I just can't believe that he's gone and I..I'm sorry, I don't think I can do this right now."

Seth walked away from the podium with his head directed to the floor and he walked out of the room. The pressure was getting to him, and he didn't know how to deal with it. Meredith noticed that Dean and Seth acted a lot alike and maybe that's why they were best friends.

**_A hero of war_**  
**_Is that what they see_**  
**_Just medals and scars_**  
**_So damn proud of me_**  
**_And I brought home that flag_**  
**_Now it gathers dust_**  
**_But it's a flag that I love_**  
**_It's the only flag I trust_**

"I have to go up there." Meredith whispered to Dean.

"Need me to help?"

"No, I think I'll be okay." She smiled.

Meredith's crutches helped her walk down the pews and she stood in front of everyone with a microphone. She couldn't get up the stairs to the podium, so this would have to do. Meredith looked over every face in the room before speaking. There were so many people, it almost felt cramped, but they all had a mutual love for Stephen.

"Stephen was my best friend. Don't get me wrong, I love Seth, and that's why I moved to be closer to him, but Stephen and I always had a close relationship that I could never have with Seth. Stephen and I are four years apart and Seth and I are only three years apart, but I don't understand why we all had different relationships with each other. When he was in Syria, he wrote me a letter. It was only one letter, but it meant so much to me that he thought of me as a leeway from his war life. I remember everything about Stephen, and he's afraid everyone will forget him, but I know that's not true. I think I've taken enough of your time, so thank you all for coming."

**_He said, "Son, have you seen the world? _**  
**_Well what would you say, if I said that you could?"_**

* * *

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Dean opened the door for Meredith as she sat down in his car.

"Dean, I didn't want you to find out about the job that way."

"How did you want me to find out about it, Meredith? I think that was easier than explaining that you're leaving me."

"I'm not leaving you!" Meredith raised her voice.

"But you are. You might not be breaking up with me, but you're moving to Ohio, Meredith. Do you know how hard this is going to be for me? To sleep in your condo by myself and feel the emptiness of the bed at night? To wake up in the morning and not being able to kiss you before my morning shower? You didn't think about any of this, did you?" He shook his head in disgust.

"Dean..."

"What's gonna happen to us, Mer?" Dean looked over at her with tears working up in his eyes, but they didn't fall.

"You really love me don't you?" She gently smiled.

"I fucking love you. If I didn't, I wouldn't be so upset about this."

She knew Dean was telling the truth. He loved her and she loved him. Not having a career was almost worth it, if it meant spending every waking moment with Dean Ambrose. She took Dean's hand in hers and clutched it tight.

"I love you too, Dean, but just think about how good this will be for me. I promise I'll talk to you everyday, and I'll make it to your pay-per-view matches close to where I'm at. I'll do anything to make this work between us, but I can't have you give up on me."

"Meredith..." Dean shook his head.

"Wha-"

"I just know how Cincinnati is. You don't belong there. It's for scum of the earth like myself and I'm glad I left everything back there when I moved to North Carolina to start my wrestling career. Listen to me, stay away from the shifty side of town, alright? I don't want to get a phone call in the middle of the night to hear that my fiance got knifed or beaten in an alley somewhere. You go to work, and you go home. Nothing else, okay?"

"Dean that's not gonna happen! I'm going to work everyday and then I'll go to my apartment or condo or house or wherever I end up sleeping! I'm not going to find anyone else and I'm not going to get hurt! If you cant trust me, then what do we have to work off of?"

Meredith felt defeated at this point. No matter what the situation was, no matter how sweet Dean was to her, that would all come crashing down every time they got in an argument. All they did was argue anymore.

"Do you see what you're doing, Meredith!?" Dean hit the steering wheel.

"You know what? I'm done with this." Meredith opened the car door and started limping away.

Dean opened his door and hurried after her. Now he knew exactly what she felt like when he walked away from her at Raw.

"Meredith, just stop!"

Meredith turned around with tears running down her face. She didn't care if it made her look weak, she wanted Dean to see that he caused her to cry.

"What do you want me to do, Dean!?"

"I want you to understand that I just called you my fiance and other than getting excited about that, you argue with me like you always do!"

Dean threw his arms up in the air. It was hopeless trying to get through to her anymore. He thought she'd given up on him until she started hobbling towards him. She looked up at him and wiped the tears away and smiled.

"Fiance, huh?"

"I guess we were both keeping things from each other, huh?"

* * *

**_Sorry if this chapter wasn't very good. I stayed home from school today and just typed the first thing that came to my mind. Review?_**


	18. Chapter 18 Reliving and Making Memories

Meredith's surgery took place two days after she returned back home from LA. Not only was she stressed out about the surgery and moving to Cincinnati, but she also had to think about her future with Dean. He hadn't fully proposed to her, but they strongly discussed it over the past couple days. She knew if he wanted her for the rest of their lives, then their constant fighting would have to come to an end.

Meredith twiddled her thumbs in the waiting room before she got called back. She found herself on an emotional roller coaster; she was glad her and Dean had decided to work things out, but she realized that in less than two weeks, their lives would be strained on the distance between them. Meredith didn't want to be remembered as just another person who left, no, she wanted to be something more.

"Mer, it's gonna be alright." Dean wiped the tear falling from her cheek.

The only people in the waiting room were Dean, Meredith, Seth, Leighla, Roman, Joselynn and Ava. Meredith was happy that her closest friends had come to support her through her surgery, and help take care of her after the surgery was over with.

"I know it will, Dean. I'm not worried about the surgery." Meredith gripped his hand.

"Then what's buggin' you, pretty girl?"

"I'm worried about us, Dean. I'm scared that when I leave, you'll forget all about me. You'll see how easy life is without me in it. I don't want you to forget me."

Dean cupped Meredith's face in his hands and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Meredith, don't think that about me. I might be a sick guy, but I'd never forget about my girl."

"Promise?" She whimpered.

"Promise."

Dean gently pecked Meredith's lips before letting go of her face and heard a faint moan escape from the back of her throat. He chuckled at the sound.

"Didn't know my kisses did that to you." He smirked.

"You have a very talented mouth." Meredith blushed.

Dean pulled her closer and grumbled into her ear.

"What do you say if I use this very talented mouth on you later, baby?"

Meredith said nothing, and instead, pressed her lips harshly to his once more before being called back for surgery. She gripped Dean's hand and gave him a hesitant look.

"I'll be right here when you get back, baby." He assured her.

"I wish I could stay here forever." She cried softly into his jacket.

"I wish you could too, Mer."

* * *

Three and a half hours later, Meredith was making her way out of the OR in a wheelchair being pushed by one of her nurses. She looked around in a panic when she couldn't find Dean anywhere.

"Dean!?"

Moments later, Dean was rushing through the hospital doors with a bouquet of yellow roses. He knelt down in front of Meredith and handed them to her.

"I thought these would go nice with the color of our floor." He whispered and grinned at her.

Meredith rubbed the side of Dean's face and smiled back at him before wincing in pain.

"I hurt..." She whined.

"Let's get you home, okay?"

"Please."

* * *

_No matter what she did, he came after her. She wasn't even sure how he found her, but he always did. School, home, even halfway across the United States; he would always find her. She screamed at his rough, uninvited intrusion and begged him to stop. Every time she she cried out, he would add deeper cuts to her thighs that would eventually scar. He didn't care about her surgery, he tossed her to the ground like a rag doll and stood proudly over her as he grasped her hair in his hand._

_"I told you I would find you." He laughed insanely._

_"Leave me alone! Someone help me!" She cried out, but no sounds of help appeared._

_A familiar pain was granted to her leg as she cried out. No matter what, he would always come back. He wouldn't let her be free. He would always have a threatening hold on her life. He would always hold her back and invade her life. She tried to escape the grimy grip he had on her, but she shrieked out again as another pain was added almost to the exact same spot. Blood and dirt covered her helpless body and she cried out in pain of her fixed leg. No matter what, he would always find her._

"Meredith, wake up!" Dean shook her.

After screaming herself and Dean out of their slumber, Meredith clenched herself to Dean's shirtless body and cried into his bare chest. Recently, Meredith had been having reoccurring nightmares of Dustin finding her in Ohio and hurling her body around with nobody to protect her or hear her screaming.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Dean groaned.

"He's gonna find me, Dean!" She sobbed into his chest.

"Who? Who's gonna find you, Mer?"

"Dustin! He's gonna find me in Ohio and kill me!"

Dean wrapped his arms around the crying woman and took a deep breath and exhaled it into her hair.

"Look, I got connections in Ohio, okay? These guys can watch out for you, if you want, alright? Mike is in Ohio for a few months while him and Maryse get married, and Sami is checking up on his dad while he's having Chemo. You'll be okay, Meredith."

Meredith had to admit, she felt a whole lot better knowing that Mike, the Miz, and Sami would be there for her if anything happened. Meredith didn't say anything, but nodded in agreement.

"Prop your leg back up." Dean ordered.

Dean rolled out of bed and fluffed the pillows underneath her leg and rubbed the bare skin above her brace. He rubbed the other leg up and down, watching her move around in the bed. A devilish grin grew across Dean's scruffy face as he watched her squirm.

"I think I owe you something." He grinned in the darkness.

"I think you do." She smirked.

Dean gently pulled down Meredith's shorts and slid them off. Her panties were next, and were much easier to remove. He began nibbling and kissing at her thighs and he could feel the heat radiating from her already. She pulled at Dean's hair and squirmed with eagerness. Dean ran a finger over her slit and shoved two fingers into her, watching her throw her head back. To really get her going, he dove his head in between her legs and began to flick her clit with his tongue. He felt her tighten around his fingers instantly and she cried out in pleasure.

"Dean, please!" She gasped. "Please, I need you..."

"Baby, I don't wanna hurt your leg." He protested.

Meredith raised herself up and tugged down Dean's boxers and began to tease him by hovering her mouth over his member, but didn't lower it down. She knew this had to work. Meredith began stroking him and he began thrusting into her hand.

"Mer...we...oh fuck..."

Meredith finally lowered her mouth around him and began bobbing her head up and down, earning thrusts and grunts from Dean. SHe knew he was going to cave. Dean gripped Meredith's hair in his hand and lowered her head down until she reached his base.

"Fuck, Mer. God, I love your mouth..." He grumbled.

Dean pushed Meredith back on her back and turned her body so her legs were off the bed. He held them in his arms and thrust his whole length into her. He began to quicken his pace and heard Meredith enjoying herself.

"Dean...ow...mmm."

"I know...I'm sorry...ugh, Mer..."

Moments later, Meredith climaxed around Dean, drawing his release from him as well. He collapsed beside her and both of them panted as they tried to regain their composure.

Meredith pulled her legs back up on the bed and propped them up. Dean wrapped an arm around her and the silence was calming.

"You know, I don't have to go, Dean." Meredith began to reason.

"Meredith, no. I'm not going to be the reason you stay in LA and throw your dreams away."

"But...Seth needs me right now. _You_ need me right now. I need you, Dean."

"Listen baby, I know you're nervous about moving to a new place, a place without me or any family, but you're gonna be awesome at this job. What is it again?" He joked.

"I'm going to be working in a rehabilitation clinic for people with drug addictions. I'm going to help them get better." Dean could hear the smile in her voice.

"My mom sure coulda used you ten years ago. God knows where the fuck that bitch ended up."

"Dean, that's your mother..." Meredith was angry with his words.

"A mother I haven't had contact with in almost a decade. The only person I had contact with was my baby cousin. Beautiful little girl until Social Services came and took her from me. This is happening all over again; you're my baby cousin and Cincinnati is Social Services."

Meredith pushed Dean's hair back and made him face her.

"Don't think of it like that, Dean. Think of it as a vacation. I'll be back, I'm not staying there forever." Meredith assured him.

"Can I drive you there?"

"It's not like I really have a choice." She laughed.

"Oh right, your knee." Dean gave a soft smile. "You need any more meds?"

"I'm good for right now, but thanks babe." She smiled.

"Then...?"

"Sleep. Lots of sleep."

"I'm actually not tired anymore." Dean admitted. "I think I'm gonna go get some air."

"Everything alright?" Meredith sounded worried.

"Yeah, everything is fine. I just feel like going on a run. I love you."

"I love you too." Meredith frowned a little.

Dean kissed Meredith's forehead before pulling the covers over her and walked out of the room. He didn't feel like going on a run, he just couldn't lie around feeling sorry for himself. Dean walked into the living room and looked around. Just a few months ago, this place was a shit hole. Dean didn't know how, he didn't even think it was possible, but Meredith had made this place home; their home.

He walked around on the yellow floors and smiled to himself at how ridiculous Meredith's idea was for painting the floors. She wasn't one to think inside of the box, that's for sure. She was wildly creative and he loved that about her. Dean looked over in the corner of the room and remembered their almost first kiss. She looked beautiful. Two days before her birthday, the first day she moved to LA. What seemed to be a stranger he met at the Crossfit center, turned out to be his reason for living. Meredith had changed Dean's whole outlook on the way he saw things.

Dean looked down in the spot he was standing in and he remembered the day he came over to help her get the condo fixed up. He smirked when he remembered how she dropped to the floor with the blanket over her face. Meredith wasn't a morning person, Dean had learned that rather quick. He was soon walking over to the wall that Meredith pushed him against after he dropped the paint on the floor and made a somewhat pass at him. Dean smiled and then looked over at the front door where he had pressed her against after spending the day with her at Disney Land.

And of course, Meredith's bed where he had taken her virginity. That was the only time Dean was ever nervous during sex. He didn't want to hurt her, and he thought he did a pretty good job of going easy on her, but then again, she was his first virgin, so he didn't know whether he was or not. Dean walked over and flopped down on the couch and sighed into the empty room.

"What are you doing to me, Meredith?" Dean shook his head as he was talking to only himself.

For the first time ever, Dean Ambrose found himself crying over a woman. She wasn't just any woman, though. She was the woman he had met by complete accident, but had fallen hopelessly in love with. He knew they had their problems, but he would do anything for that girl. Hell, he'd drive all the way to Ohio from California overnight if she needed him to.

"I thought I would find you out here." He heard a fair voice in front of him.

Meredith hobbled over to Dean and sat beside him on the couch. She pulled his head into her arms and held him there for a while. Meredith never saw Dean cry, let alone straight up sob, and she had no idea what to do.

"I can't have another person I care about leave me, Meredith. You're not just another person...I know I'm a pain in the ass, and I'm a dick sometimes, but-"

"Dean Ambrose, stop belittling yourself like that. I've been in love with you since I'd seen you. This distance will be nothing on us, okay?"

"Just promise me something."

"Anything, Dean."

"Promise me you'll just come back. Come to some of my big events and come back on holidays. We've made so many memories here, Meredith, and I would like to make more. I want to start a family here, Meredith."

Meredith sat in silence for a few moments and took in Dean's words. She took a deep breath and knew she had to tell him. She had to tell him what she was told earlier at the hospital. Meredith grabbed one of Dean's hands and pressed it on her stomach and smiled up at him.

"It kind of already started."

* * *

**_Woah...reviews?_**


	19. Chapter 19 Breaking Point

"How far along are you?"

"At least a couple of weeks."

Dean let out a heavy sigh. How couldn't let her go now. Not when she was carrying his baby. What if something happened to her? What if she went into labor early and he wasn't there? He wasn't going to let her out of his sight, this was something he'd fight for.

"And you weren't gonna tell me?" Dean's eyes scorched into hers.

"I was..."

"Just not until you were already there, huh?"

"Dean, I'm not going to argue." Meredith was irritated that he was making this about himself.

"Who's arguing? I'm not arguing." He sarcastically laughed.

"Ya know, I came out here because I thought you needed company, but maybe it's a good thing that I'm leaving." She swallowed the lump forming in her throat.

Dean wasn't going to feel guilty for how he felt, and Meredith wasn't going to make him feel guilty. She obviously didn't want what Dean was willing to give her. He wanted to give her the world, he wanted to spoil her rotten until she got tired of it which he knew she never would, but this wasn't his Meredith anymore. Something about her was changing. Dean was on thin ice with her almost every time they talked to each other. It was hopeless to say the least.

Dean muttered at her, "Yeah, maybe it is."

* * *

That night, Dean had a match against RVD for Dean's United States title. He really didn't feel like showing up, but he knew wrestling was the only thing that would get his mind off of everything; it always did. Ever since Dean was 19, he turned to wrestling when his personal life turned to shit. That's how he felt about his relationship with Meredith now. He felt as if she'd given up on him, so he wasn't going to stress about it anymore.

"Ambrose, you okay, dude?" A raspy, hippie sounding voice came from the doorway.

Dean looked up and noticed it was Rob, his opponent for the night.

"I'm good, man." Dean lied.

"Listen, kiddo, I'm forty-two years old. I know bullshit from a mile away, now tell me, or am I gonna have to beat it out of you?" Rob laughed.

"Girlfriend issues, man. Meredith's moving in a week, almost all the way across the country. Not only that, but she found out that she's pregnant, and she's still fucking leaving!" Dean clenched his jaw together.

"Well...shit, man." Rob was speechless.

"Yeah."

"Why's she leaving?"

"Job."

"When's she gonna be back?" Rob questioned.

"Probably around the time she's gonna have the baby." Dean notified.

"Then what's the problem, bro?" Rob snickered.

"I'm not gonna fucking be there for her to do anything, man. I'm not gonna be able to rub her back for her when it's hurting, or feel the baby kicking in her stomach. I'm not gonna be there for anything, I'm not gonna be prepared." Dean was now shaking.

"Ya know, there's thousands of men who would kill to be you. Men out there, myself included, who wouldn't want to be there for any of that lovey dovey shit, but for some reason, you do."

"Yeah, well." Dean shrugged.

"Nah, man, it's a good thing. Means you, like, love her and shit."

"Obviously." Dean muttered.

"Hey dude, just trying to help. Maybe if I take it easy on you, you'll be able to walk home and talk to her." Rob laughed.

"Man, fuck you." Dean laughed back.

"You're good, kid," Rob nodded his head, "You're very good."

When Rob left the locker room, Dean picked up his phone and ran his thumb over the black locked screen. He knew he needed to talk to Meredith. They avoided talking to each other all day after their fight earlier that morning. He opened his phone and clicked on her contact, debating on whether to call her or not. When his subconscious kept telling him over and over again to call her, he finally gave in and put the phone up to his ear. To his surprise, Meredith picked up after the third ring.

"Hello?" Her voice was sweet in his ear.

"Hey..."

"Something wrong?"

"No, no. Everything is fine." He assured her.

"Then...?"

"I'm sorry, Mer."

"Dean-"

"No, listen to me." Dean interrupted her. "I'm just trying to be a good dad. I want to be there for you during your pregnancy, and I can't be. I feel as if I'm failing you."

Dean heard a woman's voice in the background on Meredith's side and lifted his brow.

"Who's over there, Mer?"

"It's just Leighla. I'm gonna stay at her house tonight." She informed him.

"God dammit, Meredith!" Dean shook his head.

"Wh-"

"You're running from this problem instead of trying to fix it! You're gonna be a mother in less than nine months, you need to grow up and act like it. Face your issues." Dean scolded.

"If you called me just to yell at me, then save it, dad." Her tone was sarcastic.

"You're such a bitch, Meredith." Dean shook his head again.

"Fuck you, Dean."

"Think I already did." He smirked.

"You're an asshole." She said with disgust.

"Thanks, babe." Dean smiled.

"No, don't call me that anymore, Dean."

"Fine. Take care of this kid all by yourself, I don't care anymore, Meredith."

"There you go again, Dean! Running out on me when things get hard." She rolled her eyes.

"Don't you tell me how hard life is!" Dean's voice raked through the phone, "I don't wanna hear about how awful you had it with your ex-boyfriend anymore, Meredith. You want to bring out my bad side? You fucking got it. It's your own damn fault for staying. I'm willing to give you everything! Every-fucking-thing in the world, and you don't see it! I'm not running, you're the one running! You're the one who isn't trying to fix anything! Oh, let's have Dean fix everything without me lifting a god damned finger!"

"Listen here you son of a bitch, moving to Cincinnati is probably the smartest thing I've done with my life, and being with you was hands down the stupidest. You think you're a fucking superhero, but Dustin would never leave me with a child. Your head is shoved so far up your own ego, you don't even see the world around you. Maybe you grew up as a bastard, but my baby isn't going to." Meredith showed no signs of regret or sadness, just hatred.

Dean couldn't believe Meredith sank so low as to call him a bastard. He hated being called that. He also couldn't believe that she basically said Dustin was a better human being than him, after all the pain he put her through. Dean had to get ready for his match, and frankly he had nothing left to say to her.

"Go fuck yourself, Meredith." Dean hung up and threw his phone at the wall.

Dean sat down on the bench and pulled at his hair. He was losing; he was losing everything around him. Dean didn't care if it was just her hormones talking, he knew every single thing Meredith said was true. He knew he wasn't there for her some of the time, but she was going to have to get used to it. He was a wrestler; he always was and always would be. His job required him to be on the road at least 300 days out of the year, and that wasn't going to change just because he had a girlfriend.

* * *

"Everything he said was true!" Meredith sobbed into Leighla's shirt.

Meredith didn't know what was happening to their relationship, if they even had one anymore. She expected so much out of Dean, but only because she saw his full potential, unlike everyone else in his life. Meredith knew she shouldn't have called Dean a bastard, she knew it killed him on the inside.

Meredith couldn't believe anything anymore. She couldn't believe Dean had turned into this monster, she couldn't believe she was moving in less than a week, she couldn't believe she'd compared Dean to Dustin, and she couldn't believe she was pregnant, and that the baby would most likely end up without a dad being there for it because of Meredith's mouth.

"Just give him some time, Mer." Leighla comforted her.

"What time, Lei!? I'm moving in less than a week! There isn't any time!"

Meredith's stomach hurt. She knew being this upset could hurt the baby. She needed to calm down.

"Mer-"

"Will you drive me somewhere, Lei?" Meredith interrupted.

"Uh...yeah, sure, Mer. Where do you wanna go?"

Meredith hobbled over to her crutches and grabbed Leighla's keys. Fresh air and talking to Dean was needed, there was no doubt about that, but first, Meredith needed to remember why she'd stayed with Dean for all this time anyway.

"I'll tell you on the way."

* * *

Five minutes into his match, Dean had tweaked his knee and busted open his chin. This was a no disqualification match, so Dean couldn't rely on Seth or Roman to get him disqualified.

It was the main event of the night, and either man could've taken the win. RVD was around when ECW was still a thing. He was crazy, and everything he did in the ring looked so effortless. Years of jiu-jitsu, martial arts, and other forms of wrestling backgrounds was a huge advantage for Rob, but Dean had traveled all over the Indy's and wound up in a place called CZW. CZW wasn't your average wrestling, no, it was Combat Zone Wrestling. Tables, skill saws, panes of glass, screwdrivers, thumb tacks, dog collars - anything and everything a sick-minded man would use to harm his opponent.

Dean knew what Rob meant when he told Dean that he was good. Dean even knew he was good. He wasn't cocky though, well maybe, but not arrogant. He just had better faith in himself than most people did, and that was a great quality to have in a wrestler. Dean leaned up against the barricade in a daze. Rob pulled him up and tried to see if Dean was still coherent enough to continue the match.

"Dude, Dean?" Rob whispered.

"Just fucking pin me." He whispered back.

"Bro, it's only five minutes into the match."

"Then do your fucking dives and shit." Dean snapped.

Rob rolled Dean back into the middle of the ring and made his way to the top ropes. He didn't know why Dean was giving up so easily, maybe the whole girlfriend thing actually was hurting him Rob got in position for his Five-Star Frog Splash, and leaped off the top turnbuckle to meet Dean's body, but took a mouthful of an empty canvas instead.

Dean quickly took advantage of Rob's dizziness and set him up for the Snap DDT. Dean nailed it perfectly and went down for the pin. The referee counted to three and the bell dinged; the Shield's theme song played throughout the arena. The referee handed Dean his title and he stood over RVD.

"I can't believe you thought I would give up that easy." Dean laughed.

RVD soon stood up and got in Dean's face. He looked pretty pissed off that Dean had dooped him like that, but to Dean's surprise, Rob stuck out his hand.

"You're good kid!" Rob shouted over the fans. "You're very good."

* * *

"Mer, it's locked." Leighla looked back at Meredith sitting in the car.

"I have Seth's key. The owner made him one for his weird schedule." Meredith hopped out of the car.

"Need me to wait?"

"I'll call you. I think I'm gonna be here for a while."

"Everything's gonna be fine, Mer." Leighla spoke before she left.

Her car soon made it's way out of the parking lot, and Meredith was finally alone. Nobody else, just her, a black rubber floor, and red walls surrounding her everywhere she looked.

_Crossfit Los Angeles._

The first place she'd ever seen Dean. Where it all started for them was right here in this building. Meredith managed to keep her composure, but she couldn't keep her mind focused on one thing at a time. Seven months here had changed her life completely. The atmosphere was different, her condo was now being shared with Dean, she lost her little brother, she won and gave up the Diva's Championship, somehow she had finally gotten away from Dustin, she booked a job in Cincinnati, and now she was pregnant.

The day replayed perfectly in Meredith's mind. The scent of Dean, his outfit, his raspy, deep voice. His perfect demeanor and respect was apparent, even though she was a perfect stranger. She noticed that he was a bit shy, but he hid it rather well. It really didn't feel like it had been seven months since Meredith moved to LA. She still remembered the first day perfectly.

_Meredith had just gotten off the treadmill after a four mile run, in attempt to get back in better shape. She headed over to the towel bin and cooled off before heading anywhere else. The towel was covering her eyes, so she didn't really see where she was going. When she began to walk away, that's when everything changed. Meredith ran into a man in a Cincinnati Reds cut-off t-shirt, black mesh shorts, black New Balance 890 sneakers, and he smelled a little like beer, but the scent was masked by aftershave and Obsession by Calvin Klein. He was beautiful._

_"Shit I'm sorry"_ were his first words to her, and _"go fuck yourself"_ had been his last.

This wasn't over for them. Meredith would make sure of that. This wasn't the first time she'd said something stupid to cause a fight between the two of them, and it wouldn't be the last, but she would stay.

_"How much do you bench?"_

_"Seventy-five on each side." She said with confidence._

_"You sure? That's one hundred fifty pounds, not including the bar."_

Dean had doubted her strength in the beginning, but the more he got to know her, the more he found out that she was strong on the inside and out. She was a fighter, Meredith would never give up. She sat down on the bench in the dim lighting. She found the silence to be calming, but it was scary as well. What if she really had ruined everything between them? Her thoughts were scrambled when the sound of "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith played over the speakers in the center.

Meredith jumped at the slight touch on her shoulder, but noticed it was exactly who she wanted it to be; Dean.

**_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing_**  
**_Watch you smile while you are sleeping_**  
**_While you're far away and dreaming_**

He helped Meredith to her feet and just stared at her for the longest time, taking the memories in with him. She looked at him with the weirdest expression on her face, and he knew what she was thinking.

"How did you-"

"Leighla told me you were here."

"Dean, I'm-"

"Shh.." Dean slid his thumb over her lips.

"Dance with me." She whispered.

Dean had done what she requested and rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed back and forth.

**_I could spend my life in this sweet surrender_**  
**_I could stay lost in this moment forever_**  
**_Very moment spent with you is a moment I treasure_**

"Why did you come back for me?" She whispered into his chest.

"I never left, Mer." He whispered back. "I'll never leave you. I'm not running."

"I'm the one running." She frowned at the realization.

"You're not running, you're chasing your dream."

"This is my dream, Dean. I never would've pictured my life like this."

**_Don't wanna close my eyes_**  
**_I don't wanna fall asleep_**  
**_'Cause I'd miss you, baby_**  
**_And I don't wanna miss a thing_**

"Sit down, Meredith. We need to talk." Dean sighed.

Meredith sat down on the weight bench where she had her first actual conversation with Dean. Here, she found out he was a pro wrestler, and had found out he was her brother's new partner. Memories were being made everyday, and soon enough, they would all slow down to an abrupt halt. Meredith wouldn't be in town until God knows when, and neither knew what the future held for them. Dean sat a little distance away from Meredith, and she knew something was wrong.

"Dean-"

"Bastard, Really? Dustin, Really?"

"I'm-"

"Do you see what you're doing to me, Meredith? I'm a shell of my former self. I'm trying to give you everything. Everything in the world. I would buy you anything you desired, I would do anything it takes to be with you and you don't see it. Maybe you do, and you're just trying to let me down easy, but god damn, Meredith. I fucking love you and you tell me that Dustin is a better person than me. You call me a bastard..."

"I love you, Dean."

"Funny way of showing it." Dean shook his head.

"Dean-"

"You blame me for everything! Everything, Meredith! Oh, I'm not there for one day, it's automatically Dean's fault for anything that happens! You don't realize that I have never felt this way for any other human being in my life, and you're brushing it off your shoulder like it's nothing! I wasn't there for you when you went to pick up Stephen from the airport, but I made damn sure that I was there for you at his funeral. I might have gotten you pregnant, but I'm willing to do anything for this child. You act like I don't even matter anymore."

"I'm so sorry.." Meredith whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"What are you doing to me, Meredith?"

**_Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together_**  
**_And I just wanna stay with you_**  
**_In this moment forever, forever and ever_**

"Dean everything's changing..." She weeped.

"I know."

"No, you don't know, Dean. I thought when I moved to LA, I would get to spend time with my brother, and grow closer to him. Instead, I move here, fall in love with his best friend, hardly ever see him, and get knocked up. Then I flee seven months later. I move here with my family still in tact. Everything changed so fast. All like dominoes. Stephen dies, I get a job on the other side of the U.S., and I get pregnant with a baby that you probably don't even want."

"I want the kid, but I just don't know if I can do this anymore, Meredith. I'm chasing you. I keep chasing you, and I'm exhausted. I'm getting pushed away and you're avoiding me. I just don't know if I can do-"

"Then don't."

Meredith's words pierced Dean's heart like a knife. He was losing her. He could feel it in her words. The warmth wasn't there. Her smile wasn't there anymore, and the things he used to do that made her laugh uncontrollably, irritated her more than anything. Seven months can really change a person, he just didn't think it would be this drastic.

* * *

**_Wow. This chapter has been my longest yet. Reviews?_**


	20. Chapter 20 Breaking Point pt 2

_He was losing her. He could feel it in her words. The warmth wasn't there. Her smile wasn't there anymore, and the things he used to do that made her laugh uncontrollably, irritated her more than anything. Seven months can really change a person, he just didn't think it would be this drastic._

Dean looked into Meredith's eyes one last time before walking out of the Crossfit center. No words were spoken. He was just trying to read her face to see if she was serious. Her expression didn't falter and he knew it was over. Everything they had been through and everything they had done for each other was gone in the blink of an eye. She was leaving him. This wasn't just some drastic decision, she had obviously made up her mind about this a while ago because Meredith didn't seem too upset anymore. It was like she had found somebody else. Somebody...better.

Dean walked towards the door and looked at Meredith before swinging it open and walking out. She hadn't even looked up at him. Meredith was crawling into herself and nobody could pull her out. She was getting more and more lost the deeper she pulled away from everyone. She had the feeling of being alone and being hurt before, but she had never hurt anyone. Not until that very moment. Meredith was lost, she was confused, and she was alone. Dean's engine revved loudly in the empty Los Angeles street. Before too long, the tail lights of the Midnight Blue vehicle were no longer there. He was gone.

* * *

The next three days, Dean was nowhere to be found. Meredith didn't blame him, though. She had hurt him more than she had hurt herself, but she knew that in the long run, Dean was horribly wrong for her and her baby. She needed someone who would give her the world. Dean talked a loud game, but when it came down to it, Meredith knew he would never change, even if she begged him to. And she liked that about Dean. She didn't want him to change for her, that wasn't the issue. She just outgrew the relationship that she was no longer happy in.

The whole morning and afternoon had consumed Meredith's time by packing up the rest of her things for her leave the next morning. Mostly everything was packed up besides what Dean had left behind. She couldn't bare to touch the clothing that used to adorn his body. It smelled of him and it made her sad. Never in her life had she seen such beautiful shirts. Ratty old t-shirts, maybe, but they were beautiful. Everything about Dean was beautiful because she found him beautiful.

Meredith's body was playing against her. She hated Dean sometimes and she didn't want to be with him right at that moment, but her heart and her mind kept wandering back to him. His smile, his eyes, the way he whispered sweet nothings into her ear when they were in public. A familiar feeling was burning through Meredith's body; sadness. She found herself crying at the loneliness she felt without Dean beside her for the past three nights. His smell was still on the sheets and his aura was still throughout the whole condo.

The ringing phone brought Meredith out of her daze and she quickly ran to the kitchen to pick up the phone just in time before it went to voicemail.

"Hello?"

"Mer!" Seth yelled into the phone.

"Oh, hey, bro." She smiled.

"Look, you're leaving tomorrow and I was wondering if me and you could talk about a few things before you go. Wanna have dinner with me down at the pier or something?" His tone was much too sweet.

"What kind of game are you playing, Seth?" She laughed.

"No game. I just want to spend the night with you before you go off and leave your big bro." His tone now sincere.

"Dean won't be there will he?" She hesitated.

"No. Of course not, Meredith."

"Meet you at the pier in twenty." Meredith grinned.

"Fifteen, and you better not be a minute late." Seth laughed.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Mer." His tone was trying to be stern, but he laughed a bit.

"Meet you in fifteen." Meredith giggled.

"See you then."

* * *

Meredith drove up to the pier where Seth told her to meet him at around 9:00 p.m. Nobody's cars were anywhere to be seen, and she found this a bit odd, so she thought Seth might have just walked. Meredith situated herself before walking up the stairs to the pier. Her outfit didn't look too over or under done. She was wearing dressy sandals, high wasted shorts, and a red long sleeved shirt. Her hair was down and curled and her makeup was barely noticeable. It may have been January, but in California, the weather was still somewhat warm compared to the harsh winters Meredith had experienced in Iowa.

As she walked up to the pier, Seth was standing at the top of the steps with a goofy smile on his face. It was such a goofy smile that anyone could've laughed at it. Seth always knew how to cheer her up, so Meredith had no doubt that Leighla was the luckiest girl in the world to get to be marrying him.

"Hello, my lady." Seth spoke with a bad English accent.

"Hi." Meredith laughed.

"Let's go inside, shall we?" The accept continued.

"We shall." Her smile spread across her face.

Meredith interlocked her arm with Seth's and began to walk through the dark doors of Charlie's Bar and Grill. At this point in time, Meredith knew Seth had a devious plan that she was left out on, but she let the surprise seem actual anyway. Just as she suspected, the lights turned on when they walked inside and everyone popped up at once.

"Surprise!" A slue of WWE superstars and Divas yelled at once.

Meredith felt so loved. The fact that Seth had done this for her made her feel so wanted, and the fact that all these people showed up, made her even happier.

"Oh my gosh..." Meredith covered her mouth and blinked back the tears.

"Meredith, you mean the world to me. What kind of brother would I be if I didn't throw my little sis a going away party?" Seth smirked.

"A normal one." She laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Nothing about me is normal, sis."

"I've come to figure that out from years of knowing you." A grin crept on her lips.

Everyone Meredith had become close with had come to this party. Brie, Dolph, Roman, Leighla, Joselynn, and even AJ came to say goodbye. The sensation was overwhelming for Meredith, but the only true thing Seth had said to her that night, was that Dean wasn't going to be there, and he wasn't. Dean wasn't anywhere to be found. She had to admit, she was pretty upset.

A man walked up behind her after everyone had gone away and broke off into their own groups, and noticed that she was rather down.

"Hey, you okay?" The voice startled her. It was familiar. One that made her smile.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Meredith managed a grin.

"No you're not." He tilted her chin up.

The sensation that ran through Meredith's body at that one touch from Corey Graves was the best feeling she ever had. Never had Dean given her body a rush quite like that. Well, he had, but not recently. That's what was missing. The spark was gone, and Meredith didn't know how to get it back.

"Tell me what's wrong." Corey grumbled.

"Cor..Corey..I'm fine." She stammered.

"Meredith. I've talked to you before. I know when someone is lying. I can see it in those pretty eyes of yours." He grinned. "Now please tell me. Maybe I can help."

"I don't really know if I can talk about it right now, Corey." Meredith frowned.

"Wanna take a walk then?"

"Yeah." Was all she managed.

Corey and Meredith walked away from the scene of people and made their way off to a different area. A more...private area. They made their way down to the dock and watched the waves crash against the shore in the somewhat illuminated darkness. Not much was said, Meredith was too fixed on watching the waves and listening to the sound. It was calming, and Corey had no problem in waiting until she was ready to tell him.

"It's so beautiful." She smiled up at Corey who was standing close behind her.

"Yeah." His voice raspy, but he smiled.

"I'm gonna miss this place." She frowned and looked down at her hands, trying to hide the tears.

"Hey," Corey walked to her side and leaned against the railing on the dock, lifting her chin up and wiping the tear from her cheek with his thumb, "Don't cry, beautiful. You can tell me anything, okay? I'm here."

Comfort. That's all Meredith wanted from Dean and he didn't know how to give it to her. She didn't bother trying anymore, it was obvious that Dean was never to be seen in her life again, and she was pregnant with his child.

"You're so great, Cor." Meredith whispered. "Okay, I'll tell you."

Corey leaned against the railing with Meredith standing between his legs at a decent length apart. Corey's eyes content only on her, waiting for what she had to say.

"I'm leaving for my job, but I'm also leaving all of this behind. My friends, my family, you..." She trailed off and his eyes immediately darted into hers.

Before Meredith knew it, Corey was holding her face in his hands while their foreheads were leaning against each other's. Meredith's breath was shaky as was his, but they managed to put that all aside for what occurred next.

"Kiss me." Meredith whispered.

Corey leaned Meredith's head up a little bit and planted his lips to hers. The kiss set off fireworks in the back of her head in her fantasies of this moment, but when it actually happened, she wanted it to be Dean.

_I bet Corey Graves can't fuck you like that._

The voice in Meredith's head replayed the moment from the day Dean showed her his jealous side. She hated remembering things that hurt her.

She leaned into the kiss more, and soon forgot about Dean. She felt the tears escaping her lids and she had to pull away.

"Corey.."

"Mer, I'm sorry. I-" He tried apologizing.

"It's not your fault. I'm just...pregnant..."

Corey's eyes said it all. He hadn't known, but then again, Meredith hadn't told anyone besides Dean and Leighla. Not even her parents knew.

"I'm sorry, Meredith, I wasn't trying to interfere with your relationship." He assured her.

"I'm not dating anyone right now, Corey."

"Then-"

"I just have to go fix something. Please, don't hate me." She frowned.

"I could never hate you, beautiful!" He shouted as she ran up the dock.

"Goodbye, Corey!" She laughed. "I'll see you again some day!"

The words forced Corey to smile, only to hide the pain in his chest. It didn't matter, though. She was running off to Dean again, and he was left alone on the dock.

Meredith was out of breath when she reached the sand again. She was running; metaphorically and physically. She was running to the scene of people again, but she was running from her mind. It was making her go crazy, but she had realized that if she listened to her mind, then she would be destroyed by logic and reason.

What Meredith didn't know, was that Dean had seen the whole thing. He watched the two of them being ever so friendly at the pier, he watched them walk alone down to the dock, and he watched the two share that moment in which he had only done since Meredith moved to California. He was breaking, and she only seemed to bring him down.

**_Hot summer nights, mid July_**  
**_When you and I were forever wild_**  
**_The crazy days, city lights_**  
**_The way you'd play with me like a child_**

Dean watched Meredith walking up the stairs to the pier and walked towards her from behind as she was walking into Charlie's again. The voice startled her.

"How nice of you to join us, Mrs. Graves." The voice was sarcastic.

"Dean..." Tears welled up into her eyes immediately, she knew he had seen everything.

"How could you do this, Meredith!? I still fucking love you! You don't understand how I felt seeing you kiss Corey."

"Dean, you walked out..."

"Only because you told me to! Meredith, I'm not going to drive you further into yourself like you already are. I know how you are when something scares you. You pull away from reality and don't comprehend anything going on around you because you're retracting and I can't talk to you when you're like that!"

"Then go kiss another girl, Dean!" Her words confused him.

"What?.." His voice was shocked.

"You heard me. If that's what it takes to hurt me as bad as I hurt you, then go and kiss another girl. Any girl, I don't care. Pick the prettiest one at the party and take her home with you." She was hoping it would even their score.

"You're serious?" Dean's voice low, his eyes piercing into hers.

"Yeah. If that's what it takes Dean. Pick your poison. Any girl here." She stood aside.

**_Will you still love me_**  
**_When I'm no longer young and beautiful?_**  
**_Will you still love me_**  
**_When I got nothing but my aching soul?_**

Dean pretended to look around, but he knew nobody there was more beautiful than Meredith. She was gorgeous to him. Especially now since she was carrying his child. She had been pregnant for almost one whole month, and he knew the stress on her must've been high. He wanted to make everything up to her tonight before she had a burning impression of him forever. Dean watched Meredith tremble as he looked around, but then, to her surprise, Dean looked at her.

Before Meredith knew it, the familiar lips were pressing against her's and the kiss didn't break. He wanted her forever. Her kiss, her laugh, her love, her whole self. Dean and Meredith were meant for each other, and he was stupid to walk away. The kiss deepened, tongues swirling together and moans filled the mouths of the two. Meredith pulled him against her and knew this was where she belonged. Dean finally broke the kiss and looked down at Meredith who was left breathless.

"You."

"Me?"

"I want you, Meredith. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

**_I know you will, I know you will_**  
**_I know that you will_**  
**_Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?_**

"Take me home." Her eyes welled up.

"Meredith, no. We have to talk. Everything, right now, okay?"

"Dean..."

"Meredith, please." His tone was breaking.

"What do you want from me!?" Meredith sobbed.

"I want you to take a look at everything! Just please, think back to when we first met. We both tried so hard to get each other to notice ourselves. Meredith, I will protect you, no matter what. I'll always be here for you. I'm not letting you leave me. You can go to Cincinnati and you can do your job, but this baby..." Dean looked down at Meredith's stomach and touched it with his palm. "This baby is the only thing that I will ever love more than you because she's ours."

Meredith felt Dean's touch to her still small belly, and knew that no matter how much she fought him off, no matter how much she told herself that she didn't want or need him, Dean would always be the man that she loved more than anyone in her life. She smiled at the words.

**_Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?_**  
**_Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?_**  
**_Will you still love me when I'm not young and beautiful?_**

"She?" Meredith grinned.

"Yeah. Or he." Dean nodded.

"What if she's a girl?"

"Caroline." He smirked.

"Caroline, huh?" She giggled.

"Sweeeeet Carolineeee." Dean softly sang.

"Dean, you're such a goof."

He brushed the hair falling down in her face, "I know."

"What if it's a boy? What then?" She gave him a goofy look.

Dean's eyes got serious and he cupped Meredith's face in one hand. The cool California breeze flew through the air and made Meredith huddle closer to him. He looked down at her and a heartwarming grin crept across his face. Without thinking twice he just blurted his answer out.

"Stephen."

* * *

**_One chapter left! Then I'll write the sequel and another story. Hope I didn't disappoint with this chapter. Reviews are always welcome (:_**


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